Second Chances
by IncognitoSheep
Summary: When faced with the death of her best friend or the destruction of her hometown, Max makes the impossible decision to sacrifice Chloe. She spirals into a deep depression for six months before she decides that she cannot live with it any longer. She returns to her first day in Seattle with one goal in mind: to stop Jefferson and keep everybody safe. Pricefield.
1. I Get Older and Life Fades

**Author's Notes:**

 **The events of this chapter are inspired by Second Chances – Imagine Dragons.**

 **All credit is given to Imagine Dragons for the song lyrics used and referenced in this chapter.**

* * *

Music filled Max's room as she lay in her bed. Dark circles were wrapped around her eyes, rife with exhaustion. Six months had passed, but it seemed like every day without Chloe was worse than the previous.

The night air filtered in through her open window, bringing the unmistakable scent of rain along with it. She tensed slightly. When the spring had first begun, anything even remotely reminiscent of rain would send her into a full-scale panic attack, but she had grown… numb to it now. She'd grown numb to just about everything, really.

She stared at the ceiling, her face illuminated by the gentle light of the moon as she listened to the words of the song playing from her hi-fi.

" _Hotter than friction, subtle as sound,_

 _There'll be no forgiveness when you come around,_

 _Oh these days, oh these days get heavy._ "

Max's thoughts were focused solely on Chloe. In fact, she was the pretty much only thing her thoughts were _ever_ focused on. Her grades had begun slipping; she'd grown apart from most of her friends. She went to her classes, barely paying attention as whatever shitty teacher taught whatever shitty lesson they had for the day before returning to her dorm and retiring to her bed, waiting futilely for sleep – or something more permanent – to finally take her.

" _I get older and life fades,_

 _But you remain."_

Tears filled Max's eyes. The room around her seemed to fade as she one again felt the cold embrace of the Blackwell floor. She could almost hear Nathan's crazed ranting as she relived the scene in her mind for what must've been the millionth time. She had wanted so desperately to just reach out and save Chloe from her fate one last time, but she had somehow managed to anchor herself to her spot. She had done nothing but listen and cry as the shot rang through her ears and Chloe's lifeless body hit the floor. She felt so… guilty about it all. After everything they'd been through together – after everything Chloe had done for her – Max had just given up. She'd let her die.

Lazily rolling her head to the side, her eyes rested on a scrapbook of old pictures that she had left lying on the little table next to her sofa. Rubbing the tears – and sleep – from her eyes, she weakly rose to her feet and made her way toward it. She carefully grabbed it as she settled into her seat.

Max gingerly opened the book. She carefully turned each page so as to not bend the pictures they contained. The photos were captures of various moments in her life, mainly those she had shared with Chloe. Her and Chloe playing pirates in the yard, their first beach trip, Chloe's 8th birthday party… but as she perused the contents of the book, her eyes finally rested on a single photo. One that was a lot… lonelier. It was a selfie she had taken on her first night in Seattle. The joyous look that she had possessed in the earlier photos had been replaced with a tired, lonely look. Her reddened face was sprinkled with tears, light was reflecting off of them.

" _Open up again, I believe in second chances…"_

Tears were escaping her eyes once again, a single drop fell onto the page as she reminisced. A dangerous thought entered her head. A thought that she'd been entertaining quite often as of late.

 _Maybe I could… go back and save Chloe somehow?_

Near infinite possible outcomes rushed through her mind. _What if I just screw everything up again? I don't want to see Chloe in a wheelchair again…_

 _But… I need to try. I can't keep living like this._

" _Please let me in, I believe in second chances…"_

Her gaze was glued to the photo. What began as an innocent trip down memory lane had begun to transform into something entirely different. The soft melody filling her dorm room began to fade away, replaced by the sound of cars, of sirens distantly howling away into the night. The photo began to shift and turn, the image and sound becoming increasingly clearer.

 _"I won't break you, I will not let you down…"_

The song faded from her ears until it became barely but a whisper. The image and the sounds that came with it became clearer… and clearer… until her vision faded, the scene around her fading to nothing as the final words of the chorus rang through her ears.

" _Open up again, I believe in second chances._ "

* * *

Echo. Echo? Nothing is echoing. I mean _nothing_ is echoing. As in _silence_ is somehow _echoing._ I have no idea how. It just is.

The In-Between is weird like that. The rules that bind our universe together don't exactly apply when you're outside of it.

Of course, Max can't comprehend what's happening around her. She simultaneously is and isn't at the same time. She's in one place, but also in another. And another. Infinitely many Maxes in infinitely many realities performing infinitely many actions.

Echo. Echo.

Something's happening. The nothing is growing louder. It's screaming – calling out Max's name – yet it's completely silent.

Echo. Echo.

There's a numb sensation reverberating throughout her body. She feels nothing, yet she's overcome by the weight of every version of herself in existence – even _outside_ of existence. She can individually feel each and every one.

One is very… cold? Something heavy is pressing in around her. She feels nothing. She hears nothing. She is alone.

Echo. Echo.

Another has the rage of a thousand suns surging through her veins. There's a feeling of cold metal in her right hand, partially covered in a faux-leather strip. Her hand is raised; she's… pointing it at something? Her finger is resting on some sort of lever? Switch? … Trigger?

Echo. Echo.

Every feeling Max has ever felt or ever will feel pulses through her blood one by one as she begins to feel a slight pull, as if something – or someone – is attempting to free her from her metaphorical chains.

Echo. Echo.

"Max is home."

* * *

Click.

Max recoiled slightly at the sudden flash. Once she regained her vision, she glanced around the room, taking in her surroundings. She immediately recognized that she was in her room at her family's house in Seattle. She was back in her thirteen year old body, in her thirteen year old bedroom, just… well, without her old thirteen year old mind.

She could hear the distant sound of sirens and the occasional 'whoosh' of a car as it drove outside. The corners of her room and most of the outside world were hidden by a fluctuating orange border, oddly reminiscent of a fire clinging to its last threads of life – its smoldering embers.

She hopped out of bed and to her feet. Without hesitation, she barreled toward her laptop. Her movements were precise and determined, her newly formulated goal in mind.

 _If I can just get some dirt on Jefferson somehow, maybe… maybe I can prevent Chloe's death this way?_

A spark of hope flashed through her veins as she skipped to her seat and plopped down. Her hands jumped for her laptop and sloppily grasped its lid, enthusiastically pulling it open.

 _Okay. What to search…_

Pressing away at her keyboard, she navigated to Google. She momentarily thought about what to search. Her eyes widened with determination as she entered, "Mark Jefferson" and awaited the search results. Her eyes scanned the results. His personal website, some interviews... and his Wikipedia page.

 _Well, I've gotta start somewhere I suppose._

As she perused his Wikipedia page, she examined the various photos littered about the text. They were mostly the highlights of his seemingly endless portfolio, but there were a few scattered about from his life. One of his college graduation, one of him giving an acceptance speech at some snobby award show, but one in particular caught her eye.

" _Mark Jefferson with his family. Christmas, 1988."_ Read the description that was located conveniently below the photo. The photo itself was a grainy colored photo of the family standing in front of a Christmas tree, adorned with sparkling ball ornaments. Beautiful gold and silver garland loosely hung from its branches, and a majestic star rested at the top as if shining its light throughout the entire household.

This supposed light, however, was not reflected on the faces of _any_ of the photo's subjects.

What Max assumed was Jefferson's mother stood slightly slouched, standing to the right of Mark with her hand resting on his left shoulder. Her face was painted with dejection; her eyes with defeat. She appeared as though the thought of joy was naught but a distant memory; a fantasy that she could never hope to experience. She appeared to be no older than 40 years old, yet her hair was fading to gray and her face was beginning to gain wrinkles.

To the left of Jefferson was his father. The man stood tall and proud, his musclebound arms resting stiffly at his sides, a nearly depleted glass bottle of beer gripped in one of his hands. The man's face was scrunched up, his features emitting an angry, combative aura into the photo. His appearance was ungroomed, disorderly in nearly every way. His face was lightly dusted with untidy facial hair; his thick head of dark brown hair long and unkempt.

And finally, there was Mark. Poor little old Mark Jefferson, likely no older than thirteen years old, looked so broken… hopeless. The innocent spark of naïve wonder that is normally present in the eyes of children was missing, replaced with a fearful gaze, full of pain – and yet, empty at the same time. His head was aimed at his feet, his eyes weakly facing the camera. There was a blemish on the boy's cheek.

 _Is that... a bruise?_

With how intently Max had been focusing on the photo, she failed to realize that the image had begun to shift. Its blurry confines flipped and turned, the sound of fire softly crackling and aggressive shouting beginning to fill her ears.

Once she noticed what was happening, it was too late.

* * *

Click.

The small single-room house was momentarily filled with the bright flash of a camera before fading away, leaving the dimly lit room as quickly as it came.

Max threw her eyes open. She was behind the Christmas tree, situated just behind the family. She placed a tentative hand on one of the branches and peeked around.

"Glad that shit's finally done. I never knew that a family photo could be so fucking difficult." Mark's father grumbled as he roughly shot his beer bottle to his lips and took a deep swig. Emptying the bottle, he growled before spinning toward his wife and shoving the bottle into her chest. She fell slightly back. "Get me another, woman." He hissed as he sauntered to the other side of the room and rested in a heavily blemished arm chair, its once vibrant colors fading to gray.

Tears appeared to be forming in Mark's mother's eyes.

"Did I fucking stutter? Get me a goddamn beer!" Mark's father demanded, slamming the chair's arm. His mother weakly nodded, swiftly doing a full turnaround and running to the small fridge that was situated in the far corner of the room.

The house seemed borderline uninhabitable. There was trash everywhere, the walls were stained, and there were even shards of glass scattered on the floor.

She crouched to look under the tree, but hesitated.

 _I... don't have a shadow?_

She sprang back to her feet and span around, looking all around her.

 _I don't have a shadow. What the fuck?_

She turned to the kitchen and froze. Mark's mom was staring right at her. Max opened her mouth to speak, mentally preparing herself to run. Before she could say anything, Mark's mother turned back to the fridge and carried on with what she had been doing.

 _She can't see me?_

Max's gaze traveled around the house, desperately searching for any possible exits.

There was but a single window present on the walls, but even that was covered by a blanket that had been nailed around the corners. There were two entrances into the house, the front door being left open. However, the back door was missing its doorknob, instead featuring duct tape and what appeared to be a butter knife.

 _That's one way to fix a door._ Max chuckled.

"Who the fuck is laughing?" Mark's dad growled. He shot a menacing stare toward his son. "Get over here. Right. Fucking. **NOW**!" He leaned forward in his seat.

 _I guess they can hear me? Huh.  
_

Mark replied with a tear-filled gaze and a soft nod, lacing his fingers together in front of him as he trotted apprehensively toward his father. As he got closer, Max observed the man leaning closer to the boy and lifting one of his arms in a preparatory manner.

 _No…_ Max thought, averting her gaze just as the boy reached his father.

A loud smack filled the room, followed by the distinct sound of tears being released by the child.

 _Okay… Fuck. This._ Max thought. She analyzed the room, trying to find a way that she could help. Her gaze finally landed on a rotary phone resting on a small table next to the open door. She darted across the room with near silent footfalls and quickly began to turn the dial on the phone, careful not to make any noise.

As she began spinning the dial, she hesitated.

 _Nothing good has_ ever _happened when I change the past. Should I do this?_

As if listening to her thoughts, she heard Mark let out a notably loud sob.

 _I… as much as the Jefferson absolutely_ disgusts _me, I can't just… sit here and watch this. No child deserves this, regardless of if they grow up to be a psychopath._

She lightly shook her head and continued with what she had been doing.

She snuck outside with the phone in hand, walking to as safe of a distance as the wire would permit before bringing the phone to her ear.

"Information. What city and state, please?"

"Arcadia Bay, Oregon." There was a pause, then a click. "Hello? Yes please, what's the number for Child Protective Services?"

* * *

Echo. Echo.

There's a sound this time. A whisper, being carried by the nonexistent wind into Max's unconscious ears.

"Max…" The voice hesitates, a soft sigh twirling through the void. "Be careful… for her."

The image of a doe flashes through the mist.

Echo. Echo.

Silence.

* * *

"Shit!" Max gasped. She flung herself to a sitting position and threw her eyes open. Her vision was blurry and split. Tears were gathering at the base of her eyelids. She blinked them away and shot her eyes around her in a panicked haze. She felt a light breeze whip against her exposed chest; the soft fabric of a blanket rested over her bare thighs.

 _I'm… I'm na – wha…?_

She felt something to her right. She pivoted her head to the side and saw movement. She recognized… blue? Blue hair?

"Babe? What's wrong?"

Max let out a shocked gasp.

"C-Chloe?"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I apologize if the sudden switch from past to present tense was a bit jarring, but I did it for a reason.**

 **The story itself will remain in past tense; however, sequences such as that one will be in the present tense.**


	2. Morning Come Bursting Through the Clouds

**Author's Notes:**

 **The events of this chapter are inspired by Us Against The World – Coldplay.**

 **All credit is given to Coldplay for the song lyrics used and referenced in this chapter.**

* * *

"C-Chloe?"

Chloe rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and propped herself up on her elbow. She leaned slightly to face Max. Her eyes, still partially glazed over with a layer of tiredness, were full of worry and confusion. "Uh… yeah? Seriously, what's wrong? You're kinda acting hella weird right now."

Max's eyes looked as though they could pop out of her head at any moment. The cocktail of emotions running through her body right now was incredibly diverse – joy, confusion, shock, even more joy and a bit of anger for some reason. It was nothing short of a miracle that she remained conscious – even more of a miracle that she managed to construct a response.

"Mmm, yeah… I…" Her eyes drifted down the other girl's body as she remembered that they were both naked. The temperature of her face increased tenfold as she gripped a sheet to her chest, covering the exposed skin. She looked away and stuttered, "U-um… Chloe can you, like… clothes?"

Chloe let out a soft chuckle. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, one raising just above the other. She hesitated before softly placing her hand on the other girl's shoulder. At the touch, Max jumped a bit and moved slightly away to get out of her reach.

"S-Sorry, I just… please? I'll tell you what's going on, but… I'd like it if we were clothed, at least."

Chloe sighed and nodded. She rolled herself out of the bed and to her feet.

Max covered her eyes and span her head to look at the corner of the room farthest from the other girl. Upon hearing the click of a light switch and the opening and closing of a door, she uncovered her eyes and waited for her eyes to adjust to the light before letting the sheet that was covering her body fall back onto the bed.

She rose to her feet and shivered as the cold night air filtering in through the partially open window bit her bare skin. Carefully placing her feet so as to not trip on one of the various items littered about the bedroom floor, she traipsed to a pile of clothes resting near the large blue wardrobe.

As she changed into her somewhat dirtied outfit, her eyes wandered the room in an attempt to see if anything was different. However, Chloe's room as exactly as she remembered it – various band posters posted about on the wall, angsty graffiti marked into the partially faded paint. Even the flag covering her window was exactly the same as before, if not a bit more worn.

Once she was dressed, she noticed some photos resting in a pile on the wardrobe. She tilted her head to the side and rifled through them, examining each one.

One photo featured her and Chloe lying in bed together with their arms around one another. Max was holding up her camera in front of them as Chloe kissed her cheek.

In another, she was wearing a long sparkling strapless dress while Chloe was dressed in a suit. Chloe's hands were around her waist and she was holding a bouquet of red flowers – presumably roses. They were standing in front of the Blackwell gym as a crowd of people was flowing into its small entrance.

Before she could look at any more of the photos, she heard a faint knocking at the door.

"Max, you… you modest?" Chloe's muffled voice trickled through the door. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, Max took a deep breath.

"Yeah."

The door slowly creaked open, revealing Chloe as she stepped into the room. She kicked the door closed once she was inside. She was dressed in a pair of slightly faded skinny jeans and a somewhat oversized white t-shirt with a small rip over her right shoulder.

"Okay, Max. Spill. What's up?" Chloe asked as she took a seat next to the smaller girl. Her features were lined with worry – with care.

"I, uh…" Max sighed, "Fuck, I don't know how to even start."

Chloe scooted closer to her until their hips touched. She took the smaller girl's hand into her own, testing the waters of physical contact. Max didn't move, instead opting to shoot the punk a nervous smile.

Max finally decided to just rip off the band-aid. "I can time travel." Her face scrunched up and she gave the other girl an uncertain look. _Fuck, I sound like a nutjob._

"Ummm," The other girl looked even more confused than before. She let out a soft, unsure laugh and scratched the back of her neck. Upon seeing the serious expression on Max's face, her laugh faded. "You're… not joking. Seriously, are you okay?"

Max shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I'm not joking though, no."

Chloe closed her eyes and shook her head, her hair whipping around as she did so. "Do you realize how fucking insane you sound right now?" Opening one eye and raising her eyebrows, a subtle grin began tugging at her lips. "Did you bake before I woke up?"

"No." Max responded. Her hands clenched together slightly, her eyes flashing with annoyance. "I'm being serious, Chlo. I… shit, I need to explain this in more detail, don't I?"

Chloe nodded vigorously. "Hell yeah, you do."

"Wellll…" Max brought her legs underneath her and turned to face Chloe as she began to tell the story of what had happened to her – to _them_ – six months ago. Chloe's death in the bathroom, Max's discovery of her rewind ability, the investigation of Rachel's death… all of it. It was as if the world around them had skidded to a halt in order to listen to Max's recollection of the events from that week. The crickets halted their chirping; the dogs stopped their usually incessant barking. The world was silently listening to the tale of her grand adventure. Chloe too remained mostly silent the entire time, occasionally nodding or grunting as an indication that she was listening. Occasionally, during one of the more shocking parts of the tale, her eyes would open slightly wider or her breath would hitch in her throat.

"The last thing I remember is saving Jefferson from his parents… then I woke up here." Max recalled as she finished retelling her story. She examined the other girl's face, desperate for any indication of her feelings regarding the situation.

"Max, I want to believe you. Of course I do. But…" Chloe sighed and looked down at the bed, beginning to play with the edge of the sheet. "Max, you sound like you've lost your fucking mind."

Max conceded, nodding subtly and looking away from the other girl in thought.

 _I_ have _to prove all of this to her somehow. You know…_

"Empty your pockets." Max commanded. She shifted slightly in her seat and turned her gaze back to the blue-haired girl.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Chloe bobbed her head and hastily emptied the contents of her pockets into the space between them.

 _Okay. Empty box of cigarettes, panda keychain, phone… what's this?_

Max glanced up at Chloe and lifted a small polaroid off the sheets. It was a photo of her; a selfie she had taken in her dorm room. She was wearing her normal outfit of jeans and a hoodie, blowing a kiss at the camera.

She gently laid the photo down and held her arm up.

"Max, you sound like you've lost your fucking mind."

A shit-eating grin began to form on Max's face as she leaned in closer to Chloe. "Alright. I'm ready to blow your _mind_." She took a deep breath and continued. "I can tell you exactly what's in your pockets right now."

Chloe gave her a disbelieving look which quickly transformed into one of a curious excitement. "Okay, psychic girl. Show me what you got."

Scrunching her nose up in thought, she rested her gaze on the ceiling momentarily before returning it to the other girl. "You have an empty cigarette carton."

Chloe nodded and yanked the small object out of her pocket. She chucked it into the other girl's lap. "Damn, Caulfield. Impressive. You know I smoke though, could be a lucky guess. What else?"

Max gently tossed the empty cigarette carton away from her. "You have your keys. They're on a panda keychain. Which, by the way, is _so_ fucking adorable. That little heart? Ugh!"

Chloe dropped the keychain onto the bed. The playful expression on her face had faded partially away. Her eyebrows were now raised and her face was dropped into a small 'o'. "I know, right?! The… other… you used to gush about it all the time. It was adorable." She winced slightly at the somewhat flirtatious comment she had accidentally made. "What else?"

Max brought her hand to her chin and stroked it lightly in thought. "Oh! That's right!" She gave Chloe a knowing smile and a wink. "A picture of _meeeee_."

Chloe nodded and blushed slightly. "Yeah, yeah, but what's are you _doing_ in the photo? Give me the deets!"

"Oh, just basic stuff. I'm in my dorm room, wearing my usual outfit… and, oh! Yeah! Blowing a kiss at the camera." Max winked at her again, causing Chloe's face to turn a dark shade of red.

"O-oh. Y-yeah, I suppose you're right. Ha!" Chloe stuttered as she slid the photo out of her pocket and laid it face-up on the bed.

The bluenette brought her hands behind her neck and leaned forward slightly. "Amazeballs! I literally just got chills all over my neck." Raising her head slightly to look at the other girl, she let out a soft chuckle. "You have powers."

Max dipped her head in affirmation, reciprocating the other girl's laugh. "Yep! Crazy, huh?" Her eyes drifted from Chloe's and fell back to the bed beneath her. "I, um. Is it weird that I don't really know how to feel about all this?" She returned her gaze to meet the bluenette's. "Like, after all of this, I'm obviously happy, but… like, I'm still _so_ fucking upset about everything that happened. And I'm scared that I might've just fucked everything up again, like I did last time I tried to change the past. I just… I don't know."

Chloe gave her an understanding, somewhat pitying look and planted her hand on the smaller girl's shoulder. "No, Max. Of course that's normal! You went through hell and back. I can't imagine what that was like…" She trailed off, running through Max's story in her mind once more.

Max rested her cheek on the other girl's hand momentarily before she realized what she was doing. _I.. why did I do that? I'm not… like, I get that the_ other _me and her, were… wait, were they?_ Blushing slightly, Max shifted her head back to its original position. "Hey, uh, I'm sorry if this is too personal or something, but like… were you and the other me, like – I guess – dating?" She clenched one eye shut, looking at Chloe apprehensively.

The bluenette shrugged and raised her right hand to the back of her neck. "Yeah… I, like, get if you don't want to. I–" Chloe's thought was cut short as Max lurched forward. She cupped her cheek and left a light peck on her lips. Giggling, she leaned back into her previous position. Max rested a hand on the other girl's knee.

"There's one thing I guess I forgot to tell you during my story… You, uhm, kind of dared me to kiss you." Max shut her eyes and let a smile take over her face. "I did, of course. I'd honestly wanted to for _such_ a long time. Way overdue, if you ask me." She slowly opened her eyes, batting her eyelids slightly as she did so. "Just… remember, I'm not the same person as the other me. I get that our relationship was _probably_ much further along for you two, but—" This time it was Chloe doing the interrupting, as she leaned forward and placed one hand behind Max's head, pulling the other girl in for a longer kiss. Breaking apart, Chloe rested their foreheads together and smiled.

"I understand, Max. We can take our time. I'm _hella_ okay with that."

As the two pulled apart, Max looked up and to the side in deep thought. "So… I have _no_ idea what I've changed this time through my time travelling. I'm gonna list some names and could you, like, tell me if you know who they are? And maybe a few little details about them, too?"

Chloe nodded, bringing her legs under her and crossing them Indian style. "Shoot."

Max tilted her head slightly and gave the bluenette an uncertain look. "Uh, William?"

A tinge of sadness flashed in Chloe's eyes. "Dead. Car accident when I was fourteen."

"Joyce?"

"Alive. Still working at the Two Whales, waiting tables and scolding teenagers. The usual."

"David Madsen?"

Chloe grimaced. "Mom's husband. Professional douchebag, destroyer of fun. Also the head of security at Blackhell."

"Mark Jefferson?"

Chloe shook her head. "Negative. Never heard of the guy before your story."

Max shot her a slightly shocked look. "Wait, really? Never? He's not teaching at Blackwell or anything?"

"Nope. Is that a good thing?"

"I… I don't know." Max rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Kate Marsh?"

"Oh, that bubbly Jesus chick? She goes to Blackwell, I think. Why?"

"Friend of mine. I don't know if she is in _this_ timeline though. Fuck, this is confusing."

Chloe chuckled. "Tell me about it. Anybody else?"

The brunette shrugged. "Not that I can think of… oh. Wait."

"What is it?" Chloe inquired, gently rocking herself back and forth as she sat.

"Rachel Amber?"

Chloe nodded eagerly. Her eyes lit up with what could only be described as a near perfect joy. "Yep! She's the reason the other you and I were – I guess, _are_ – together, actually! She goes to Blackwell. Popular as _fuck_ , party animal, pretty much our best friend."

Max let out a surprised gasp. Her facial features rapidly shifted between shock and happiness. "Wait, seriously? Holy shit." She muttered.

"Yep! She's awesome. We chill with her all the time."

The hipster looked up at the other girl, her eyes tinged with uncertainty. "So… how _did_ your relationship with the other me start?"

Excitement painted over her features, Chloe's lips rose into a smile. "You and Rachel had just met, and the two of you were becoming like _hella_ good friends. I, the jealous bitch that I am, _really_ wanted to meet the other you. You know, to gauge the competition? Anyway, one day I was hanging out with Rachel at American Rust and you showed up. Of course, I recognized you, but I was also _so fucking insanely attracted to you._ Like, I think my exact thought was, ' _Holy shit, she got hot.'"_ Max's face grew significantly in temperature, but she giggled nonetheless. "We reconnected, hung out all the time for a few days and… you asked me out!" The brunette gave her a disbelieving look.

"Are you being cereal right now?"

"Yep! Hella cereal! I know, it shocked me too. But that's the gist of it, I suppose. We were together for, like… three months? Before you showed up, that is."

Max felt a guilty pain grasping at her heart and laced her hands together in her lap. "Uh… sorry." She muttered.

Tears momentarily appeared in Chloe's eyes before she tightly clenched her body into itself, forcing them away. "No, no, no. Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, you're still Max Caulfield, aren't you? Because if you are, then you're still the same person, kinda… damn near perfect in every way." Chloe lifted the other girl's chin and gave her a reassuring smile. "Unless a lizard person replaced you or something, I think it's fine."

Max playfully stuck her tongue out at the other girl, imitating a lizard. "Maybe I wassssss." She giggled.

Chloe lightly nudged her shoulder. "Well, then I guess I'll have to do something about that, won't I?" With her hand still on Max's chin, she leaned in slightly until their lips connected. Electricity shot down Max's spine, igniting her heart with happiness – with passion. And with that came a realization.

 _This is real._

 _This is perfect._

 _This is my life._

 _And holy shit, is it strange._

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Max and Chloe's relationship is going to move somewhat slowly from here on out. Even though that _is_ the core focus of the entire story, I don't want to rush it too much.**

 **Also, future chapters may not have as short of a turnaround as this one. I've just been feeling really inspired to write and I have a lot of free time at the moment, so it didn't take long for me to churn this one out.**

 **Again, thanks for reading!**


	3. We Are Nowhere and It's Now

**Author's Notes:**

 **The events of this chapter are inspired by We Are Nowhere and It's Now – Bright Eyes.**

 **All credit is given to Bright Eyes for the song lyrics used and referenced in this chapter.**

* * *

The world felt empty. A hollow nothing twirled against her skin, depriving her body of any and all stimuli. Gradually the world around her shifted into existence and a soft haze overtook her mind. She felt tired, but not in the usual manner. It was the type of fatigue that usually signals the arrival of a deep, comforting sleep.

As she began to become cognizant of her environment, she perceived a cool, flexible substance hugging her partially unclad body. Her body was moving beyond her control, as if adhering to the prewritten script of a supernatural playwright.

 _Wha… where am I? What's happeni-?_

She was forcefully taken out of her thoughts by the faint whispers – well, it resembled a whisper _to her_ , in reality the voice was speaking at a normal volume – of a voice somewhere in her immediate vicinity.

"Your power is changing everything, Max. Especially you. I can already tell. You're not so… chickenshit anymore."

Finally regaining her vision – and the rest of her senses, for that matter – Max took in her environment. She was in the Blackwell pool, its illuminated waters reflecting against her saturated skin. Chloe was situated to her right, leaning on the side of the pool and gazing at Max.

Several moments passed as Max processed what was happening.

 _I… how am I back here_? _Oh my dog, did I break time?_

On the verge of a nervous breakdown, she abruptly swallowed, burying her feelings so as to not alert Chloe to her current emotional state.

 _Okay, okay. I'll just try to make sure everything goes the same way as last time, and… figure it out from there. Easy._

Greedily taking in a deep breath of air, she tried to recall how she had replied to Chloe previously. She offered a half-hearted chuckle and replied with whatever cheer she could muster, "Thanks, girlfriend."

Staring ahead into the empty control room, Chloe imparted a small, content smile. "You know what I mean. You're becoming like this… force of nature."

Once again struggling to recall her past responses, Max paused. "More like _luck_ of nature. I mean, my power failed when I tried to rescue Kate. Maybe I'm just stumbling back and forth in time… for what reason?" She shrugged, her movement being too subtle for Chloe to notice. _Close enough, I guess._

"You didn't stumble when you saved me, Max."

Max bobbed her head in hesitant agreement. "Yeah, not _that_ time. But only because you were there to kickstart my power."

Chloe continued to look ahead, rhythmically tapping her fingers on the wet tile as she thought. "So it's time to start moving forward in time. And we're obviously connected since… without me, you would have never discovered your power, right?" She glanced briefly at Max, awaiting a response.

"Absolutely. You make me feel like I know what I'm doing."

"And you make me feel like I have a reason for still being in Arcadia Bay." She lightly nudged the photographer's elbow.

Max shifted closer to the bluenette. Their eyes met as Chloe rolled her head toward Max. "I hope so."

Chloe shook her head, droplets of water flying out of her dampened hair as she did so. "Stop being so goddamn humble. You're like the smartest, most talented person I've ever known."

"More than Rachel Amber?" Max cringed slightly at the reminder of her past jealousy of the girl. _Chloe says she's a jealous bitch, but… I think I've won that_ _title._

Chloe's eyes briefly flashed in annoyance. She momentarily diverted her eyes from Max's. "Dude, I'm not her groupie, okay? And I'm sure you have Blackwell bros all over you – like Warren."

Max shook her head. "You're the bro killer." She giggled. "Tats and 'tude."

Chloe's lips tugged upward into a smile. "You did _not_ just say that. Plus, I am _not_ down with these Arcadia Bay hillbillies." She retorted with a playful inflection.

Max stifled a laugh. "I don't blame you… Anyway, we have bigger fish to fry, right?"

Chloe sighed and nodded. "No worries. Once you get over yourself, you're going to make the world bow."

"As long as you're there with me." Thinking back, Max realized that she hadn't truly realized how true those words had been when she had originally said them all that time ago. Without Chloe, her confidence had been completely sapped – she'd become completely despondent in nearly every way.

Chloe noticed Max's shift in attitude through her peripheral vision. Max's depressing thoughts had made themselves clear on her face. "Don't look so sad. I'm _never_ leaving you."

 _If only that were true._

Desperate to get away from that conversation, Max pushed herself away from the wall. She relished the feeling of the water as her body crashed into its depths. Her arms moved in cyclical motions to keep herself afloat as she shot a playful look in Chloe's direction. "Now I'm getting cold in here."

"Because we're yapping instead of attacking each other, otter-versus-shark style!" Chloe proclaimed, following Max deeper into the pool and splashing water at her.

Max turned her face as the bits of water flew past her face, giggling all the while. Once the air was clear, she turned around and retaliated with an admittedly weaker splash of her own.

"I, uh… think I've had my pool experience for the year. Let's jet." Chloe declared. She span herself around in the water and dove for the pool wall.

"Let's call it a draw. I'm gonna freeze my ass off when I get out."

 _Okay, so far so good. Shouldn't be long until… wait._

Something was… off, to say the least. A cold, expectant fear grasped at Max's heart as it began to beat faster and faster. She examined the area around her in a blind panic. It was then that she noticed that the pool _had no bottom._ The water descended indefinitely into a seemingly endless black void. Goosebumps appeared all over Max's body as she began to shake. A thick, warm liquid began to pool on her upper lip. Before she had a chance to react, she heard a loud ' _thump_ ', immediately followed by a ' _crack_ '.

Max whipped her head around in a panic frenzy. She witnessed a sight she had hoped to never see again; Chloe's body, lacking consciousness, floating face-down in the water. Blood was painted on the edge of the pool's wall, small beads of the liquid occasionally falling into the pool and mixing with the water. A thin wisp of the thick liquid was being emitted from Chloe's temple, dancing in the water as it rose to the surface.

Max stifled a sob and brought her hands to her face, a sharp inhalation of air coming with it. She recoiled slightly, the previously rhythmic nature of her breathing became increasingly irregular.

In hope that Chloe may somehow still be alive, Max cautiously treaded toward the girl's body. She lightly nudged it upon arrival. As if scared out of her slumber by the touch, Chloe jerked slightly and grabbed the smaller girl's arm. She rolled onto her side. The way she was floating in the water defied all laws of physics; it was as if she was floating, her body completely ignoring the water around it. Her eyes were glazed over, looking at nothing in particular – and yet, it looked as though she were gazing deep into Max's soul. Her chest laid still… she wasn't breathing.

Max tried to jump back – to get away – but she found herself anchored in her spot. She couldn't move anything, and just like Chloe, she wasn't sinking.

A thin, raspy voice came out of Chloe's mouth. It sounded hollow… lifeless. "You _never_ learned, did you? Every. Single. Time. That you've changed the past, you've just _fucked everything up._ " The voice was full of venom… it sounded nothing like Chloe's. Its face steadily moved into a robotic smile, seeming more malevolent than anything. "You'll see in time. Perfection doesn't exist, Max. Something is _always_ wrong with the world… and you can't just rewind all of your problems away."

Max opened her mouth to speak, but the moment she tried to utter a single syllable, the world around her instantly faded to darkness. It was as if some higher power had flipped a light switch, signaling the end of… whatever had just happened.

…

…

…

Echo. Echo.

It's happening again.

"Max? Max!"

She's shaking. Wait, no… something is shaking _her_.

"Max!"

"Why are they shaking her? Please, stop. She needs to see. She _has to see_."

Echo. Echo.

Silence.

* * *

"Max!"

A sharp breath of air filled her lungs as she sprang awake, flinging herself to a sitting position. Still alarmed from what had just happened to her, she threw her eyes around her, taking in her environment.

 _Chloe's room. It… it was just a dream. Just… just a dream._

One would think that the familiarity of her surroundings would be comforting to her, but they weren't. In fact, her surroundings were honestly just making this worse; they were naught but a reminder of her fear of the unknown. The unknown consequences of how drastically she had changed the past.

It'd been around twenty-four hours since Max had supplanted herself into this reality. Most of her time since then had been spent talking to Chloe, sleeping and crying. But she'd _never_ had a nightmare like that before. The mere thought of her dream was enough to send her spiraling near a nervous breakdown.

She felt a soft hand graze the fabric of her t-shirt. It rested on her shoulder and lightly squeezed it in a reassuring manner.

Max turned her gaze to the direction of the touch and saw the sight that she'd hoped to see. Her blue haired punk… Chloe. Finally letting it all go, she dove toward the girl and buried her face in her chest. She tightly gripped the cloth of her shirt. Her grip on the other girl's shirt was hard enough that her knuckles began to grow white.

With a soft breath, Chloe wrapped her arms around the smaller girl. "Nightmare?" She felt as Max delicately nodded her head against her. Sighing, she rested her chin lightly on the other girl's head, rubbing her back reassuringly.

Max focused on Chloe's heartbeat, finding it helped to calm her down. The sounds of her sobs filled the room, dominating the noises of the night. They stayed there for quite a while – likely close to an hour – before Max pulled herself slightly away from the other girl and rested her forehead on her shoulder.

"S-sorry." Max managed through her sniffles. "I, uh… didn't mean to wake you up."

Playing with Max's hair, Chloe planted a sweet kiss on her temple. "Don't be sorry, Maxaroni."

Max removed her head from Chloe's shoulder looked up at her with wide eyes. They threatened to burst open with a brand new batch of tears at any moment. "Do you remember my story?"

Chloe nodded.

"Every time I changed the past, something went wrong. You became crippled in a car accident, I got myself trapped in the Dark Room with no way out… hell, even the tornado was my fault! I want to just say screw it and _believe_ that nothing is wrong this time, but… the fear's just hiding in the back of my mind, you know? That's, um… that's what my nightmare was about." As another sob broke out, she hid her face in the bluenette's neck. "I'm so scared, Chlo."

Unsure of what to say, Chloe instead opted to just pull the girl into a tight embrace. She kissed her lightly. "I'm here." She murmured, desperate for any way to comfort Max.

"Uh, you know… when Dad died," Chloe began, initially uncertain of where she was going with her thought, "I started thinking, like, 'What if I'd just stopped him? Couldn't he have just taken the bus or something?'" She shook her head softly and let out a strained sigh, attempting to hold back her own tears. "I even blamed _him_ for a while. I'm… I'm sure you know what grief is like. Clearly you would, since you lived with it for over half a year. But, Max…" She lifted the brunette's head from her shoulder, lightly holding her hand under the brunette's chin. "Max, you're _so_ much fucking stronger than me. Hell, you're the strongest person I know. You want to know why?"

Max offered a frail nod, prompting Chloe to continue.

"Anybody else would have given up had they gone through what you went through. You saved my life _so many goddamn time_ s and stayed strong the entire time. There's a reason that _you_ were given these powers. You're the only person that's strong enough to use them; to _save my life_ and to keep everyone else safe in the process. I guess what I'm trying to say is… maybe this is the exception that proves the rule? Maybe, just this once, whatever's dictating the story of the universe just slipped you a get-out-of-jail-free card?"

Max shrugged, still unconvinced but happy to hear the comforting words. She leaned her head against the other girl's bust and continued to cry softly. She cried on and off for hours, until the first peeking of the morning sun. At some point, as Arcadia Bay began to wake up, the two fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

One final thought ran through Max's mind as her mind drifted into a dreamless slumber.

 _A get-out-of-jail-free card, huh? Hm. Maybe._

 _I guess we'll see._

* * *

" _And like a ten minute dream_

 _In the passenger seat_

 _While the world was flying by_

 _I haven't been gone very long_

 _But it feels like a lifetime."_

\- Bright Eyes, We Are Nowhere and It's Now


	4. We're Secretly Out of Control

**Author's Notes:**

 **The events of this chapter are inspired by Morning in America – Jon Bellion.**

 **All credit is given to Jon Bellion for the song lyrics used and referenced in this chapter.**

* * *

Blackwell Academy. A place that Max had despised even the thought of just a few days before, but now relished as a comforting reminder that some things are constant in every timeline.

What stays constant about Blackwell? Well, firstly, the fact that it even _exists_.

But there's more to it than that. Under the studious shadow of its grand architecture always lurked darker undertones. Even though it may have appeared perfect to outsiders, the students that walked its picturesque grounds were anything _but_ picturesque. Really, it oftentimes seemed that the school would stop at no ends to hide its imperfections. In reality, the place had the same problems as any other high-school. Every student wore their shortcomings on their sleeves for the world to see.

Victoria? Well, she always had done well in school and, as such, in the eyes of the faculty she was the perfect student. In the eyes of her peers however, she was a backstabbing snake. She'd do _anything_ to get an advantage over someone, stooping on occasion to blackmail and other more drastic measures to achieve her own goals.

Her biggest weakness? Jealousy. It's ironic, really; the girl with the most desires the possessions of those with the least.

Warren Graham, the resident science nerd of Blackwell. His grades often exceeded even the brightest students and he was considered one of the best students at the school, if that means anything.

Of course, everybody has their weaknesses, so… what was his? Shyness, insecurity, all that jazz. He was a sweet guy and all – he clearly had a good heart under his shy demeanor – but he generally buried his feelings under humor.

Then there's Max Caulfield. She wasn't a perfect student by any means. Her grades were slightly above-average at best and she tended to daydream during classes, but her teachers still mostly liked her for whatever reason. She certainly wasn't popular either. In fact, she possessed but a few close friends, mostly seen as an outcast by her peers.

So, what was _her_ greatest weakness?

Well, she'd figure that out soon enough.

* * *

Chloe's truck slowed to a stop as she pulled to the curb at the entrance to the Blackwell grounds.

Students were already swarming the courtyard as they prepared for their various classes. The wind was gently tussling the leaves of the few trees present on the grounds; the morning sun casting its warmth upon the world below. By all means, it was a completely normal day.

And after everything that Max had been through, she cherished the normality of it all.

Chloe placed the car in park and applied the parking brake. She shifted her body toward Max and rested a hand on the other girl's shoulder. "You sure you're gonna be alright? You look _hella_ nervous."

The brunette nodded. "Yeah… I think so. Thanks, Chlo."

Shooting her a loving grin, Chloe removed her hand from her shoulder. "Shoot me a text if you need anything, yeah? My daily activities consist of laying around and smoking, so I _definitely_ have time to talk if you need to."

With a faint laugh and an appreciative smile, Max propped open the passenger's side door and slid out. Her feet softly thudded against the asphalt. She kicked the door shut and waved goodbye, watching as Chloe skidded off down the road.

As she began the trek to her dorm she found herself inspecting the area around her, looking for any significant changes. To her surprise, she didn't notice any.

 _Everything's the same… Huh. Maybe I_ didn't _screw anything up this time._

As she approached the entrance to her dorm, she was torn from her thoughts by a familiarly bitchy voice.

"Oh look, it's little miss selfie ho." Victoria sneered. Taylor and Courtney stood by her side with their hands on their hips, laughing along with Victoria's taunting.

The three were blocking the entrance, but Max wasn't in the mood for their shenanigans. However, as she attempted to brush past them she was stopped by Victoria, who pushed her backwards with a light nudge of the shoulder.

"Why the rush, Max? We're _trying_ to talk to you, you know." Victoria tutted.

"Fuck off, Victoria." Max murmured, glaring at the other girls.

"What was that, Max? Sorry, you'll have to speak up." Courtney and Taylor both giggled and whispered amongst themselves.

"I told you to fuck off." The brunette raised her voice this time, her volume near that of a shout.

"Ooh-la-la, seems like Max here finally grew some balls! Sure did take you long enough." Victoria brought her arms to her chest and crossed them, leaning back on her hip. "So, what's the big rush here, Max? Gotta go cry in your dorm for a bit? I know life must be difficult for a selfie _connoisseur_ such as yourself."

Fed up with the present conversation, Max trotted toward them and shoved past them with a much greater force than before. She managed to break past them that time and made her way to the door.

"Ooh, someone's sensitive today. Don't spend too much time crying in there, Max! You might miss class."

Max yanked the door open and advanced into the building. She slammed the door shut behind her.

 _Well, that's a great way to start the day._

* * *

That day seemed like it would never end. Max had forgotten exactly how much she _hated_ the environment around Blackwell; the negative attitude carried by the students really got to her sometimes.

Of course, it didn't really help that her mind was still stuck on the dream she had had a few days before. Despite Chloe's most desperate attempts to calm her down, the thought that an unforeseen consequence of her time-travelling could appear at any moment _scared her_.

She tried to keep her mind off of it, but it was proving to be quite difficult. She had barely been listening during any of her classes, and it seemed people were starting to take notice. A couple people had taken the initiative to ask her if she was alright. She'd quickly assured them that she was of course, even if that wasn't entirely true.

As she stepped into the photography classroom, she felt a loose panic grip her heart.

 _Max, Jefferson isn't here. You know this. Just… calm down and stop worrying so damn much._

The room was mostly the same as she remembered. The posters that had previously lined the walls were replaced with much more colorful photos. They featured various natural elements; one was of a beautiful field of wheat, the midday sun casting shadows in a way that created the perfect amount of contrast.

"Max!" She spun toward the person calling her name.

"Rachel?" Max was surprised to say the least. Not that she didn't know that Rachel was still alive – Chloe had made her well aware of that fact – but she hadn't expected to meet her so soon.

"Uh… yeah? Of course it's me? Who else would it _be_?" Rachel quipped as she approached Max.

Max giggled. "I have to make sure it's you, ya know. A shapeshifter could've taken your place or something."

Rachel lightly punched her shoulder and chuckled. "Nerd. So, what's up? Haven't seen you in a while. Chloe been hogging you?"

Max nodded. "Yeahhh, I've kinda been at her place all weekend. Sorry."

With a squeal, Rachel shook her head. "Don't be sorry, Max. You two are so adorable together! So… what'd ya _do_?" She winked at the smaller girl and nudged her slightly.

Max's eyes drifted to the floor as she gripped her bicep with her other hand. "Nuttin' much… just hanging out, ya know?"

"Oh come on, Max. Don't play coy with me. I _know_ you did more than that." Rachel smirked.

"Isn't that a bit private there, Rach?" Max countered, testing out a new nickname.

"Touché. You know—"

Rachel was cut short as a woman in a gray, flowing cardigan sweater and somewhat tight blue jeans entered the room. She adjusted her thick-rimmed glasses and waltzed to the desk, setting down a considerably sized stack of books.

"Alright. I know y'all have a passionate hatred of chairs for some odd reason, but let's make our way to our seats, okay?" The woman teased with a playful tone.

Obeying her command, everybody sat down at their respective desks.

Max placed her pencil case and camera on the desk in front of her. She reached into her backpack to grab her notebook.

 _Is that the photography teacher? I feel like I recognize her…_

The woman gestured at a boy that Max didn't recognize. "We have a new student today, so let's get to introductions!" She leisurely walked to the center of the classroom and leaned on a desk facing the center of the classroom. "I'm Nancy Peters, and I teach photography here at Blackwell. Of course, you all already know that, so let's get to the more interesting stuff." She went through the class rules and various little details about how it worked; stuff that most students already knew.

Upon hearing the teacher's name, Max's eyes widened in surprise.

Nancy Peters was a world-renowned photographer – one of Max's many idols. She was known for possessing one of the most creative eyes in landscape photography in modern times. She had routinely won competitions, one of which being National Geographic's Photographer of the Year. To put it bluntly, this woman was a big deal in the photography world.

Peters' lesson was quite interesting for Max to listen to. She went over the intricacies of photography in great detail; clearly having had a great deal of experience in the field. The other students seemed to be invested in the lesson as well. There was seldom an interruption that didn't involve a question regarding the material being taught.

Suddenly, Max felt a vibration in her pocket. She pulled out her phone and discreetly checked her messages under the table.

 **Warren:** Super Max! You free to come over and study later? Gotta cram for that science test next week, ya know

 **Max:** Sure, I'll be over after my photography class.

 **Warren:** Sounds good. Catch you then

The rest of the lecture flew by quickly and before she knew it, the bell was ringing to signal the end of the class period.

* * *

Knock. Knock.

Max approached Warren's dorm and gently knocked on the door. Her eyes scanned the area around her, finally resting on the whiteboard next to his door.

There was a purposefully unflattering caricature of Warren on the board. It was surrounded by multiple smaller drawings of male genitalia. 'Warren Gayram' was written at the bottom in a fancy, over embellished script.

 _That's_ so _not cool._ Max thought. She reached for the board and wiped it clean.

As she prepared to knock once more, she noticed the knob turning. It was swiftly opened, revealing Warren standing on the other side. He was wearing a striped t-shirt with his usual blue jeans.

"Mad Max! How's it goin'?" He opened his arms in a hug — a hug which Max gladly accepted.

"I'm fine. How are _you_ doing?" She stepped back from the hug and grasped her hands together in front of her.

"Pre-tty good, if I do say so myself. Here, um…" He stepped to the side, gesturing into his room. "Welcome to my humble abode." He glanced side to side as if looking for any peeping eyes or eavesdropping ears. He brought his hand to his mouth, leaned in and whispered, "I'm told it's bigger on the inside."

Max lightly shook her head and entered. "Nerd."

Warren chuckled and ran a hand through his hair as he shut the door. "You know it."

Warren's room was exactly how she had expected it to be; there were various pop-culture posters posted about the walls, mainly of video games and older sci-fi movies. It was mostly clean, save for a few stray pieces of clothing lying about the floor.

He walked past Max and made his way to a sofa that was situated near the back corner of the room. After he took his seat, he patted the space next to him, signaling Max to sit down.

"So… what's been on your mind there, Max? I noticed you were acting kinda weird in class earlier." Warren shot her a somewhat concerned look.

Max shrugged, mustering a half-hearted smile. "I'm fine, really. Just tired."

Warren nodded, clearly unconvinced. "Max, you don't—"

Suddenly, an empty look flickered onto his face, as if his spirit had been emptied from his body, leaving him an empty vessel to be molded by whomever would so choose. His posture changed as well; his normally laid back, somewhat nervous demeanor was replaced with one of great seriousness.

His head tilted slightly as his neck turned in a somewhat mechanical fashion, stopping when he was fully facing Max. "You have to see, Max." The voice clearly wasn't Warren's. It sounded ethereal… otherworldly. " _Everything_ was meant to happen this way. From beginning to end, it all led here. Just… remember. You're your own worst enemy."

As quickly as it came, the voice disappeared. Warren jolted back to life, his normal demeanor returning in full force. With a wince, he brought his hand to his temple and clenched his eyes shut. Gritting his teeth, he let out a strained sigh.

"Ugh… sorry, Max. Spaced out for a sec there."

Max's eyes grew with concern. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You alright, War?"

He nodded. "Yeah… yeah, I think so. Thanks." His voice was still rife with pain.

Removing her hand from his shoulder, Max leaned back into the sofa. _The hell was that?_ She thought, gleaning over what had just happened in her mind.

Desperate to find something else to focus on, Max leaned forward and faced Warren. "So… ready to get to studyin'?"

With a nervous chuckle, he shrugged. "I, uh… don't really need to study. I actually just wanted to get your opinion on something?" He shot her an uncertain smile. "If you want, of course. _Totally_ cool if you're not comfortable answering."

Her voice tinged with curiosity, she responded. "What is it?"

Warren brought his hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it apprehensively. "I was, um… sorry, I don't know why I'm so nervous about this." He raised one leg onto sofa and rested his other arm on his knee. "I was kind of thinking about asking Kate out? You know, sometime soon… I don't—"

"DO IT!" Max exclaimed with a squeal. Her eyes had momentarily bulged outward in shock. Her expression quickly faded to what could only be described as pure excitement.

"Wow, you're _way_ more enthusiastic about this than I expected." He chuckled.

Max raised an arm defensively, reciprocating his laugh. "Sorry, sorry. Just… I'll be happy to see you two _with_ somebody, ya know? Bunch of loners." She playfully punched his shoulder.

He smiled and looked down slightly, shaking his head. "Don't get too excited there, Super Max. I doubt she'll say yes."

"Warren!" She scolded, prompting him to raise his head and look her in the eye. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You just gotta be confident, of _course_ she'll at least want to at least give you a chance."

He briskly exhaled a stale breath of air. "Thanks, Max. I… I appreciate it. Really."

She waved a dismissive hand at him. "Hey, that's what friends are for."

Their conversation was interrupted as a loud 'ding' rang from Max's pocket. She pulled out her phone and noticed a message from Chloe.

 **Chloe:** hey timelord

 **Chloe:** get your ass to the parking lot

 **Chloe:** i have a grand quest for us to undertake

 **Max:** Dork.

 **Max:** I'm on my way.

With an apologetic look, Max rose to her feet. "Sorry Warren, gotta run. Duty calls!" She began to walk toward the door. "But hey, let me know when you talk to Kate please? I want to know _everything_."

Warren followed her and stopped at the doorframe as she began to walk toward the exit. "Will do. Catch ya later, Max."

"See ya!" She shouted over her shoulder as she marched through the hallway. She opened the door and sprinted down a flight of stairs, beginning her trek to the Blackwell parking lot.

 _I wonder what she means by 'grand quest'?_


	5. The Yin to My Yang

**Author's Notes:**

 **The events of this chapter are inspired by Worst – Quinn XCII.**

 **All credit is given to Quinn XCII for the song lyrics used and referenced in this chapter.**

* * *

Max's feet made a soft 'thud' as they made contact with the worn asphalt of the Blackwell parking lot. She brought a hand over her eyes to block the incoming sunlight and scanned the parking lot for Chloe.

There area was mostly empty, save for a few vehicles here and there. The evening sun was shining its dying light through the trees of the forest, casting long black shadows over the back end of the parking lot. Her eyes finally rested on Chloe's shabby old truck, parked over three spaces near the back-right corner.

She approached the vehicle and was surprised to see that nobody was around. Furrowing her eyebrows, she searched all around the vehicle. As she rounded it, she noticed a faint rustling of a bush located just beyond the parking lot, close to Chloe's truck. She nonchalantly glanced toward it and noticed a pair of dirtied brown boots peeking out from behind the leaves.

With an overexaggerated sigh, Max turned away and kicked at the ground. "Oh well, guess I missed her! I'll just go find some _other_ beautiful blue-haired girl to annoy." She smirked and began to traipse toward her dorm.

She heard the unmistakable sound of leaves rustling and glanced over her shoulder.

Chloe ran out from behind the bush in a panicked manner. She sprinted up to Max and whirled her around. She picked her up into a hug.

"No! Noo! Put me down." Max whined, giggling all the while.

"Never!" Chloe laughed and span the smaller girl around. "I've gotta keep you away from all those other, 'beautiful blue-haired girls'!" She repeated, eliciting another laugh.

Chloe shifted her hold on Max and brought her into a bridal carry.

With a goofy grin on her face, Max ruffled Chloe's hair. "Oh, look, I found one! Time to annoy the living _shit_ out of her!"

Smiling even wider than Max, as if it were a contest, Chloe subtly shook her head. "You could never annoy me, Max _ine_."

"It's Max, not-" Max's complaints were cut short as the punk pulled her into a deep kiss. A fire was ignited deep within her heart, threatening to burn her entire being. With each moment their lips were connected, the fire grew increasingly larger and it began to spread to every corner of her body.

Much to the brunette's chagrin, Chloe eventually pulled away. Her smile had somehow grown even larger.

"Wowser." Max breathed, her mouth left slightly ajar.

Chloe chuckled, her voice gravelly and low in a way that drove Max absolutely _crazy_. "You're such a nerd."

"Dork."

"Geek."

"Punk."

"Beautiful."

"Wait… that's not an insult."

"Oh, sorry. I thought we were just stating obvious truths." Chloe pulled the girl closer to her and rubbed their noses together in an eskimo kiss.

Max nuzzled into Chloe's neck and let out a deep content sigh. "You're amazing." She muttered, taking in the other girl's scent.

"No you." Chloe playfully countered, lightly rocking Max as she spoke.

After a few moments of silence, Chloe began to parade toward her car with Max still in her arms. She placed the other girl in the passenger seat and scampered around to the driver's side.

"So what's this 'grand quest' of yours?" Max inquired.

Chloe settled into her seat and grinned. "You'll see."

* * *

"Keep your eyes closed, it's a surprise!" Chloe commanded cheerily as she carefully led Max. She was walking behind the other girl with her one hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her and occasionally shifting her slightly to signal her to turn.

Max groaned. "Why can't I seeee?" She whined.

"Like I said, it's a surprise! You can't see until we get there." Chloe planted a soft kiss on her neck, sending shivers down Max's spine.

"Fiiine."

Max could hear birds chirping all around them. The rustling of leaves indicated to her that they were near a densely forested area, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly where. She faintly recognized its smell, but she couldn't remember where she recognized it _from_.

She sighed.

 _Guess I'm gonna have to wait for Chloe to let me open my eyes._

After a few moments, she felt Chloe pull her to a stop.

The other girl dashed to an unknown location and Max could hear the sound of something opening and closing multiple times. About a minute passed before Chloe finally returned to Max.

"Alright, you can uncover your eyes now." She stepped to the brunette's right side and interlocked their fingers.

Finally opening her eyes, Max felt an incredibly diverse range of emotions barreling through her veins as she recognized where they were.

 _The… the lighthouse._

She had purposefully avoided the place since the night of the storm. The place that she had once loved had become forever tainted for her since then. It was sad, really. The grand lighthouse had always served to her as a reminder of Chloe; a reminder that became quite bitter after the girl's death.

The two were stood at the edge of the outcropping, overlooking Arcadia Bay. They could hear the distant sound of the tide gently lapping at the beach. Seagulls were chatting amongst themselves, flying low over the ocean in search of food.

"Chloe, I… I don't know about this." Max whispered. Her deepest fears ran through her mind one by one, each one competing for dominance over the other.

 _What if another storm shows up?_

 _What if something happens to Chloe?_

 _What if…_

 _What…_

"Max." Chloe squeezed her hand, clearly seeing the panic in the other girl's eyes. She tugged on Max's arm and span her toward her. "I brought you here because I was thinking, like…" She trailed off momentarily. She clenched one eye shut and looked upward in thought. "Maybe we could suppress your older, negative memories of this place by making newer, better ones?" Her gaze returned to Max. She brought an arm behind her and rubbed her neck, clearly unsure of herself. "Uh, we can leave if you want. I guess this is kind of—"

Max interrupted her thought by cupping her cheek and pulling her into a quick kiss. Although short, it was more than enough to assure Chloe that she had done the right thing.

Max stepped forward and pulled Chloe into a tight hug. She rested her head on the other girl's shoulder and buried her face in her neck. "New memories, huh? I think I'd like that. Thank you, Chloe." She muttered against the soft skin of her neck.

Chloe opted not to respond. Instead, she squeezed the brunette closer and sprinkled a series of kisses through her hair.

The sun was resting just above the horizon as the moon began to rise from its daily slumber. The world around them had begun to go to sleep. The wind, tired from its constant running, had slowed down. The seagulls began to retire to the shoreline, making one last roundabout of the beach in search of whatever morsels of food the day's beachgoers had left behind.

Chloe rested her chin on Max's head. "You know, looking out over the ocean like this makes me wonder, like…" She trailed off for a moment. "What's stopping us from just finding a boat or some shit and sailing wherever the wind takes us? We could finally get that pirate ship we always used to dream about." Chloe leaned back slightly, causing Max to look up at her. "You and the other me went through that pirate phase, right?"

Max stifled a laugh and nodded. "Yes, you _dork_." She reached up and rumpled the bluenette's hair. "And… we can't do that. As awesome as it sounds."

Chloe pouted. "Why not?"

"Unlike _somebody_ here, I actually have responsibilities I have to worry about. School and friends and stuff. I can't just up and leave here, Chlo."

Chloe nodded. Clearly, she'd been joking about the boat, but she did still dream of leaving Arcadia Bay as soon as she could. But she couldn't – well, _wouldn't_ – leave without Max, though. So… she'd have to stay for now.

She pulled away from their embrace and eyed Max. "Maybe one day you'll stop ruining my fun." Chloe teased and over exaggerated a frown. She crossed her arms and looked at Max, her eyes wide with a playful begging.

Max giggled. "That'll be the day that pigs _fly_."

Chloe shifted her jaw, momentarily looking upward in thought. "You know, I never understood that saying. Like, do people expect pigs to just suddenly sprout wings one day and start their grand exodus?"

With a goofy grin on her face, Max approached Chloe. She stepped lightly onto her toes and wrapped her arms around her neck. "Dork." She muttered. She leaned in and gently kissed the side of her mouth.

"Mm yeah, I've been called that before." Chloe mimicked Max's smile.

They broke apart once again and Max's eyes wandered back toward the lighthouse. Much to her surprise, she noticed a small ragged red and white striped blanket laid out over the ground. Resting on it was a modestly sized blue cooler. Just to the right of it lay a small plastic candlestick, its flame dancing in the evening air.

"What dat?" Max muttered, gesturing toward the ensemble.

Chloe let out a nervous chuckle. "Um… I thought, you know, it might be, like… romantic? I guess? Just us, watching the sunset, eating ham sandwiches." She shook her head lightly. "It sounded a lot better in my head, I've gotta say."

Max skipped over to the blanket and sat down, crossing her legs underneath her. "It's _perfect_ , Chlo."

Chloe hesitantly followed the smaller girl and sat next to her. Opening the cooler, she pulled out a small Ziploc bag containing two ham and cheese sandwiches. Along with that, she reached back inside and pulled out a quarter-empty bottle of red wine and two wine glasses.

She raised the bottle of wine and shook it lightly. "I know you don't really like wine that much, so we don't have to drink if you don't want to."

Max shrugged. "I'm okay with wine. Just not too much of it, ya know."

Chloe nodded and went straight to pouring their glasses. She handed one to max and held hers out expectantly. "To love." She chuckled. "Wow, that was _really_ fucking cheesy."

Max reciprocated her laugh and clinked their glasses together. "To love."

* * *

Max and Chloe had long since finished their meal. They were now resting on the bench and watching the sunset. Max's head was leaned against the taller girl's shoulder, who had her arm wrapped around the brunette.

Max let out a content sigh and scooted closer to Chloe. "This was great, Chlo. Thank you."

Chloe nodded. "I just wanted to help you relax. Get you to stop worrying so much about something going wrong, even if only for a while."

"Sorry, I just… I don't know. Everything that's happened, I find it hard to believe that everything would've been fixed so easily."

Chloe hugged the smaller girl even closer to her. "I get it, Maxi. I just wanna help you to see that everything's gonna be alright, ya know?" She turned slightly and gently kissed her crown.

Max bobbed her head imperceptibly, thoughts running through her mind at millions of miles per hour. "I just can't believe that it _would_ be alright. Like, what was the point of everything I went through? Was the universe just teaching me some fucked up lesson?"

Chloe shrugged, careful not to disturb the brunette too much. "Max, it's like… Occam's Razor, yeah? Sometimes the simplest answer is the best? Don't you think that whatever counts as normality in this fucked up world is the simpler reality to face here?"

 _Maybe she's right. Maybe…_

Max grunted softly, furrowing her eyebrows in thought as she continued to watch the sunset.

"I guess that with all of the bad shit I went through, something good was bound to come of it? Like, yin and yang. After the universe put me through a shit-ton of 'yin', I guess it's _possible_ that it decided that it was time for a nice healthy serving of 'yang'?"

Chloe laughed softly and rubbed the smaller girl's shoulder. "Yin and yang. Huh."

Max reached for Chloe's free hand and interlocked their fingers. "Aren't we kinda like yin and yang in a way? Really different in a lot of ways, but so similar in spite of those differences that we're perfect for each other?"

With a grin, Chloe absentmindedly rapped her thumb against the back of Max's hand. "I guess. Which one of us is which?"

Max giggled. "Of _course_ you're yin, dork. What else would you be?"

Chloe snorted. "Okay, Glenda."

"Doesn't that make _you_ the Wicked Witch of the West?" Max's laughter continued to grow as she spoke.

"Uh, yeah? Her outfit is punk rock as _fuck_ , dude. I'll happily take her position."

Max gazed up at Chloe. "I love you, you big freaking _dork_."

Chloe returned Max's gaze. She looked deep into her sparkling blue eyes. "I love you too."

The two sat there lost in each other's eyes for several minutes. As the last morsel of the sun faded beyond the horizon, they leaned toward each other. Their lips met in a passionate flame. The sound of smacking filled the air. Their teeth clacked together occasionally, but they didn't care. In the moment, they were lost in one another. And it was perfect.

* * *

"Hurry up, ya sloth! Get your bony legs moving!" Chloe shouted over her shoulder as she ran down the path.

"Hey, I'll take that as a compliment. Sloths are _totally_ adorable!" Max retaliated. She giggled. The other girl was much faster than her; she had already made it back to the truck.

"I mean, if you find deadly sins adorable, then sure!" Max could barely hear the faint traces of Chloe's shouting through the trees.

"Well, I find _you_ adorable, soooo…" Max quipped as she sprinted further down the path.

Once she finally arrived at Chloe's truck, she leaned over with her hands on her knees, panting. "So…" She managed through each breath. "Where we goin'?"

Chloe shrugged. "I can take you back to my place or Blackwell, whichever you want."

Max rose back up and smiled. "I guess your place? It's easier than sneaking back into Blackwell, anyway."

Chloe opened the passenger side door and gestured for her to get in. "Alright, hippy. Your chariot awaits."

The brunette slid into her seat. "Thank you, madame."

Chloe rounded the truck and slipped into her own seat. As they drove away from the lighthouse, Max found herself thinking, for one of the first times since she had arrived in this new reality, that maybe everything _was_ normal.

And she cherished that feeling.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **About Chloe's reaction (or rather, lack thereof) to the loss of the old Max: the next chapter is set to hopefully explain that. I've got a somewhat detailed outline of what I need to explain and when I need to explain it, so there's a pretty good chance that plot holes or just weird happenings in general will be explained sooner or later. Sorry if that bothered anybody, I'll try to get to explaining stuff like that sooner in the future!  
**


	6. These Days, I Tend to Lie

**Author's Notes:**

 **The events of this chapter are inspired by Amsterdam – Imagine Dragons.**

 **All credit is given to Imagine Dragons for the song lyrics used and referenced in this chapter.**

* * *

The morning sun began to filter through Chloe's eyes. With a yawn, she threw her arms backward into a stretch. Her senses returned one by one as her sleep faded.

A delicate ray of sunshine shone through the blemished glass of her window, warming the area around her bed. The muffled sound of kids chatting at the bus stop outside could be heard over the glittering chorus of birdsong echoing through the trees.

She reached her hand to feel for Max, but her hand instead fell upon a sheet of paper. Her brow furrowed as she lifted it off the bed.

...

 _Hi Chloe,_

 _Had to get to Blackwell! I'll take the bus, don't worry about me. I just couldn't bring myself to wake you up, you looked so peaceful._

 _Love you! Text me as soon as you read this pls_

 _Xoxoxo_

...

She sighed.

 _Well, off goes the best part of my day. Ugh._

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and reached for her phone. The bright light emanating from the small screen briefly stung her eyes, causing her to blink multiple times in rapid succession. A few moments passed before she focused on the screen. Her wallpaper was a selfie of her and the old Max on the bench at the lighthouse. Their lips were connected in a delicate kiss, their features painted by the soft light of the setting sun.

 _I_ really _need to change my photo. Sad reminders are not what I need right now._

Even though she'd never admit it to the new Max, she really did miss the old one. They were the same person in many ways, of course; They had the same personality, the same body, and mostly the same experiences. So, it wasn't as if she was in _mourning_ and she definitely didn't want to trade the current Max for the older one, but it was bittersweet to say the least. She had been distressed because of not knowing exactly what had happened to the old Max. It _certainly_ didn't help that she'd never even had the chance to say goodbye.

But the new Max had her own problems and bringing this to her attention would likely just make things worse. So, Chloe compartmentalized. She buried her emotions under every layer of sediment she could find in her mind just to keep Max from getting worse.

She cleared the tears that had accumulated around her eyes and opened her conversation with Max.

 **Chloe:** morning hippie

 **Chloe:** hit me with ur best pickup line

 **Max:** Knock, knock.

 **Chloe:** whos there

 **Max:** Love.

 **Chloe:** love who

 **Max:** I love you. :*

 **Chloe:** whats that i see there

 **Max:** What?

 **Chloe:** is that

 **Chloe:** an

 **Chloe:** EMOJI

 **Chloe:** no girl of mine is gonna use an EMOJI and get away with it

 **Max:** Eat me.

 **Chloe:** if u insist

 **Max:** Perv.

 **Chloe:** hey u offered

 **Chloe:** but yea i love u 2

Chloe chuckled and returned her phone to its original position on her bedside table.

Sliding off of her bed, she threw her arms up into yet another stretch. She ambled toward her blue hutch and grabbed her beanie. Its blue woolen fabric ruffled her hair as she yanked it over her head.

Something familiar caught her eye.

It was an old photo that Max had taken for Chloe as a gift for her twentieth birthday. Her lips were puckered into a kiss as her hand rested just below it, blowing a kiss at the camera. She slid her fingers under it and lifted it to her face. Her fingers traced the image as she examined it with great care.

With every moment she focused on the photo, ideas shifted around in her head. Her thoughts were beginning to combine into one. A clear vision of what she wanted to do made itself clear over time.

Chloe span around on the spot. With a spin and a bit of extra pep in her step, she skipped to her closet and began to search for an outfit for the day. An idea was fresh in her head. But she couldn't do it on her own. Actually, she couldn't do it herself at all.

* * *

Her footfalls quick and calculated, Chloe barreled down the stairs. As she neared her destination, the rich smell of freshly cooked waffles permeated her nose. She gripped the doorframe and peeked into the kitchen.

Joyce was standing near the stove, a hot plate of Belgian waffles situated just to her left. There were two frying pans on the stove's burners, creating thin wisps of steam which raced one another to the ceiling.

Chloe swung around the doorframe and into the kitchen. She adjusted her beanie and began to browse the contents of the refrigerator.

"Good morning, Chloe." Joyce said, attending to her cooking.

"Mornin'." Chloe muttered. She combed through the fridge and found a leftover pizza box. She yanked it open and pulled out a cold slice of pizza, wasting no time before taking a bite.

Joyce's shoulders were raised slightly. She seemed tense. With an abrupt sigh, she turned her head slightly and gazed at Chloe over her shoulder. "Chloe… we need to talk."

Chloe rolled her eyes and took another bite of her pizza. "What is it this time? _Please_ don't lecture me about my smoking again. We both know that you can't stop me from doing it." She mumbled through her mouthful of pizza.

"Well, you _do_ need to stop toking in your room." Joyce's voice was tense, her brow knitted tightly together. Her shoulders clenched firmly to her body as she spoke. She shook her head and relaxed slightly. "That's not what this is about. David and I have been talking, and…"

"And?" Chloe pressed, boredom clear in her voice.

The older woman turned on her feet, now fully facing Chloe. "You need to get a job. You're twenty years old and you're on an express road to nowhere at the moment." She shrugged and exhaled sharply. "There's a waiting position open at the Two Whales, if you—"

"No, fuck that. I'm not working at the Two Whales." Chloe interrupted. "But…" She raised one hand to the back of her head and glanced upward at the ceiling before letting her gaze fall back to Joyce. "I'll look for something."

Joyce's eyes widened, her jaw falling open somewhat. "That was… easier than I expected." She chuckled, turning back to the stove.

Chloe shrugged. "Don't get used to it, I've been thinking about it anyway." She span on her heels and walked out of the kitchen. She took a seat at the small wooden table near the fireplace.

Her vision darted around her, taking in the familiar scene of her home. The sun was shining brightly just outside, casting its warm light across the yard. The garage door was partially opened. She shifted to her left and craned her neck to the side, peeking across the room into the garage. The old junker that David had been working on was still in there. It looked to be mostly intact, perhaps a bit rusted, but the man had clearly made progress on it.

Settling back into her seat, Chloe reached into her pocket and slid out her phone.

 **Chloe:** so like

 **Chloe:** ive been thinking about it

 **Chloe:** if we're to believe murphys law

 **Chloe:** then maybe pigs will fly one day?

 **Chloe:** lmao now im just imagining a dopey ass little pig sprouting wings and going on an adventure through the clouds

 **Max:** What does Murphy's Law have to do with pigs?

 **Max:** I wouldn't consider pigs sprouting wings to be a bad thing?

 **Chloe:** hey i mean those little shits could probably take over the world

 **Chloe:** havent you read animal farm? theyll start a rebellion and make us slaves or some shit idfk

 **Max:** I don't think the animals in Animal Farm were really all that into slavery.

 **Max:** Isn't that literally the reason they started the rebellion? They were being used?

 **Chloe:** man ur no fun

 **Max:** You know you love me.

 **Chloe:** yeahhhh thats true

 **Chloe:** u have me wrapped around ur little finger

 **Max:** Is that a proposition?

 **Chloe:** OH MY GOD

 **Chloe:** IVE TURNED U INTO A LITTLE PERV

 **Chloe:** MY WORK HERE IS DONE

 **Max:** This is all your fault, you know.

 **Chloe:** ILL TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY I LOVE IT

Chloe's smile threatened to tear her face apart as she gazed at the bright screen of her phone, tapping away in response. She could hear the subtle movement of Joyce's feet as she approached the table.

Joyce placed a hand on her hip and grinned. "Now what in the _world_ has got you so happy? I swear, I've never seen you smile like this." Her southern drawl echoed through the mostly silent house as she spoke.

Chloe placed her phone face-down on the table and glanced up at her mother. "I'm just talking to Max, Mom. It's not that big of a deal."

A knowing smile on her face, Joyce nodded. "I should've known. I swear, that girl is the only thing grounding you to real life. I oughta thank her for that."

Chloe's face lit up, her smile somehow growing even larger. She nodded vigorously. "Yep! Yeah, you should. That'd make her day."

Joyce began to stroll back into the kitchen. "Maybe I will." She responded over her shoulder as she returned to cooking.

A sudden vibration could be heard from the table, notifying Chloe that she had a new message. She instantly grabbed the phone. Her face lit up once again when she saw who it was from.

 **Max:** You're such a dork.

 **Chloe:** u love it

 **Chloe:** hey whens ur last class for the day

 **Chloe:** i want to see uuuuuu

 **Chloe:** as long as u dont have like hw or anything ofc

 **Max:** Nothing I can't do later.

 **Max:** And my last class ends at 4.

 **Max:** Shall I expect my beautiful knight to ride up on her shining steed and whisk me away into the sunset at around that time?

 **Chloe:** ofc my lady

 **Chloe:** see u then

 **Max:** See you then, dork.

* * *

The clouds rolled by her as Chloe drove down the road approaching Blackwell. The fading light of the evening sun shone past the clouds, casting a shadow upon the world below. The tree line to the side of the road finally faded as Chloe pulled into the Blackwell parking lot and lazily parked at the nearest spot. Well, she called it parking, but in reality she just pulled over three separate parking spots.

 _Close enough._ She smirked to herself. Her eyes travelled across the parking lot, searching for Max. Finally, she spotted the girl. She wasn't wearing a hoodie that day, instead opting for a solid pink t-shirt and her usual jeans.

After a few moments, the brunette noticed Chloe. Her face lit up and she scurried across the parking lot. She nearly collided with Chloe's truck as she swung the door open and jumped inside.

"Well hello—" Chloe was cut short as Max lurched forward and cupped her cheek, pulling her into a quick kiss. She pressed their foreheads together and giggled. She wriggled their fingers together.

"Hi." Max whispered. Her breath touched Chloe's face, causing her to feel things in areas of her body she hadn't even been aware existed.

Chloe smiled. Her eyes were wide, her pupils outlined with love, with lust, with care for the girl before her. She found herself momentarily lost in Max's presence. As quickly as the moment came however, it left, as she remembered her reason for meeting with Max in the first place.

Determinedly, Chloe pulled away from Max and reached into her back pocket. Her fingers made contact with the familiar texture of a polaroid photo as she pulled it out of her pocket.

"What's that?" Max inquired, an eyebrow raised.

Chloe extended the photo to Max and brought her bottom lip between her teeth, kneading it as she thought. "I, um…"

Max took the photo between her hands and examined it. The confusion lining her face began to grow as she realized what it was. "The other me?" Her eyes returned to Chloe's.

"Yeah. I love you, Max. I loved the other you as well, and that's my problem." She sighed. "It's not even worth saying _other_ you. You're the same person. I think, deep down, I've always known that. But…" Her voice became increasingly more desperate as she spoke, her voice cracking slightly as she held back tears. "I never got to say goodbye to her, Max. I don't blame you. We don't even know what happened to the old you, so it's never bothered me _too_ much, but… I want to be able to say goodbye."

Max's expression was unreadable as she listened to the words of the other girl.

"I was wondering if you could, like…" She brought one arm to the back of her neck and massaged it roughly. "Go back and leave a note or something? Something to tell you what's going to happen and to say goodbye before it does? I just—" Tears finally began to escape her eyes, cascading down her face. "I just want to say goodbye, Max. I've been holding this in for so long, but I can't anymore, Max. I can't. I _need_ to say goodbye." Her voice shuddered as she uttered those final words.

Max shifted toward Chloe and rested a hand on her shoulder, the other still gripping the photo. Tears began to appear in the brunette's eyes, but she rubbed them away before they could escape. "Fuck, Chloe. I'm sorry. I, uh…" She clenched her eyes shut and sighed. She kicked her leg against the seat, guilt flashing in her eyes. "I've been so caught up in myself, I didn't even _think_ about how you'd be feeling. I'm so goddamn selfish."

Chloe shook her head rapidly. She brought a hand to her own shoulder and rested it on Max's hand. "No! No, no, no. It's not like that, Max. It's not your fault _at all._ You didn't know what would happen. Hell, we _still_ don't know what happened to the old you. I just want to say goodbye. If you're willing to do this for me, that is."

Max opened her eyes and nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah… of course I'll do it. Anything for you, Chloe." She wiped away the tears that had accumulated in her eyes. She hesitated. "Chloe… this won't change anything major, yeah? Like, I won't come back and see that nuclear war has broken out and Arcadia Bay is nothing but a pile of ashes, right?"

Chloe shrugged. "I don't see why it _would_. Again, you don't have to do this. I don't want to ask too much of you."

Max pulled the bluenette into another, much deeper kiss. Even though it lasted no more than a few moments, it felt like a lifetime to Chloe. She relished the feeling that emerged from her heart whenever they kissed.

As they pulled apart, Max bent her head downward to glance at the photo once more. "I love you, Chloe. I'm sorry for being so selfish."

"Don't be sorry, Max."

"I—okay."

Her focus diverted entirely to the photo. Chloe watched as Max worked, daring not interrupt her. Instantly, that version of Chloe snapped out of existence. That timeline no longer existed. Instead, it existed in a state of flux, awaiting whatever Max's action in the past would be.

* * *

Echo. Echo.

"You're uncertain of yourself, Max. I can sense it."

Max is suddenly aware of her surroundings. She can sense the void as it shifts around her. Time is bending to her beck and call.

"You're _always_ uncertain of yourself though, aren't you?" An ethereal laugh reverberates through the nothingness. "You'll find out soon enough, Max. The only thing holding you back is yourself."

Echo. Echo.

Silence.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Few things to note about this chapter:**

 **I've decided to spend some time working on my writing. Namely, I've been trying to vary my sentence structure and length. I've also been focusing on hashing out details rather than just writing a series of facts about a given scene. Hopefully it shows.**

 **This story is now (finally) available on AO3! I've taken the liberty of improving the first couple chapters as well. Nothing significant to the story has changed, so don't worry about re-reading anything.**

 **At the time of publishing this chapter, I've already completed the next chapter, so it should be out within the next couple days. Once again, thanks for reading!**


	7. Je Viens De La

**Author's Notes:**

 **Contains references to self-harm, depression and suicidal thoughts.**

 **The events of this chapter are inspired by Je Viens De La – Two Door Cinema Club.**

 **All credit is given to Two Door Cinema Club for the song lyrics used and referenced in this chapter.**

* * *

Click. Whirr.

The light from the camera's flash forced its way into Max's eyes, staggering her slightly. The final notes of a song echoed into her ears. She squinted to take in her surroundings.

She had returned to her Blackwell dorm. A dim, grey light filled her room. The sun was covered by a thick layer of storm clouds, releasing torrential amounts of rain upon the world below. Lighting crashed through the sky, thunder rolling in response.

Her knees shook; her arms felt weak. She stumbled backward and fell onto her bed, catching herself in a sitting position. Her arms clenched against her body as she focused on her breathing.

 _Time travel doesn't normally do this to me… weird._

A rough texture rubbed against her arm as she breathed. Tilting her head to the side, her eyes rested on her journal. Something that she hadn't used in what may well have been close to a year. A small black pen rested atop it. Fresh ink lined the somewhat worn pages. Small photos and drawings were littered about, pasted around the other Max's script.

 _I'd read it, but it feels weird. Even if it's me._

With a sigh, she carefully grasped the book and rested it in her lap. She took the pen between her teeth and nibbled on it, contemplating what to write.

…

 _Hey Max,_

 _I don't know how to write this. I don't know what I could possibly say, so I'll just say it._

 _I'm you from the future. Or, a different you. Time is weird like that._

 _In a separate timeline, a version of you discovered that they had the ability to travel through time. To bend it to their will by jumping through photos and rewinding the immediate past._

 _I know, it sounds like someone's either pulling a sick prank on you or you have a terrible case of carbon monoxide poisoning, but hear me out._

 _Unsurprisingly, it's somewhat difficult to prove your ability to time travel through text. So, I'll tell you something. Something that only you know. Something that you've never even written in your journal for fear of somebody reading it and finding out._

 _Remember when you first got to Seattle? You had no friends, nobody to lean on. Most importantly, you had no Chloe. You were alone, and for the first time in your life, you felt like you were completely and utterly lost. There was no point in living on without Chloe._

 _For a long time, you stayed away from self-harm. You didn't even think of suicide, but you were alright with the thought of dying. You with me so far?_

 _But things got worse. More days went by without Chloe. You were a social pariah at school. Nobody wanted to talk to the weird shy girl, right?_

 _So you took it out on yourself. You took a blade to yourself in an attempt to push away the pain you were going through. You spent hours hiding away from the world, trying to convince yourself to stop with no success. You were lost. Hopeless, without Chloe._

 _You convinced yourself that you couldn't talk to her ever again. It'd do nothing but cause you pain. You thought that she'd hate what you'd become and cast you away as garbage on the side of the road. You berated yourself endlessly for years until an opportunity finally arose._

 _Blackwell had accepted your application! This was lifechanging for you. You had the chance to go to one of the best photography programs in the country, and it just so happened that it was near Chloe. It was perfect._

 _And this is where our paths diverge._

 _I don't know exactly what your story is. I only know what I've heard from Chloe, but I think we're both similar in that we were scared. We were scared to meet Chloe again. Why? Beats me. I still haven't figured it out. It all seems so stupid to me now._

 _I met Chloe again when I witnessed her death in the Blackwell bathroom. Nathan Prescott pressed a gun to her chest and accidentally fired it, killing her on the spot._

 _But then, I uncovered something within myself. Somehow time rewound, bringing me back to my classroom around ten minutes before. I returned to the bathroom and saved Chloe's life._

 _The details aren't entirely important, but because I saved Chloe, a storm eventually formed over Arcadia Bay. A storm that would likely destroy the entire town._

 _I don't know if I made the right decision. After all this time, I still doubt myself in just about everything I do. This was no exception._

 _But against my better judgement, I returned to the Blackwell bathroom through a photo and watched as Chloe was shot. The storm never came. Everyone was safe._

 _But I fell back into that depression._

 _Everything felt numb. Everything felt pointless. I was broken._

 _I would think about what I could do to change what had happened. Could I somehow save Chloe and the town? Was there a way to prevent all of this?_

 _Well, yes. There was. But that's where you come in._

 _The photography teacher in my timeline was a man named Mark Jefferson. World-renowned photographer. Sounds great, right?_

 _Fuck no._

 _Mark Jefferson, along with Nathan Prescott, was directly responsible for the kidnapping of multiple girls and the murder of one – eventually three of them. Two? Again, time is weird._

 _Regardless, details are unimportant, but Chloe would have never been in that bathroom had it not been for Jefferson. So, I returned to Jefferson's childhood. I changed the course of his life to prevent his descent into psychopathy, and everything was okay. Everything was perfect._

 _And it wasn't until today that I realized what I had done to you. To Chloe, especially._

 _I just waltzed right in and took over the scene, leaving you to go dog knows where and Chloe to regret her inability to say goodbye to you._

 _So that's what this is about._

 _You don't have long left. Probably about a month. So please, explain all of this to Chloe. She'll find out the nitty-gritty details eventually, but spend as much time with her as you can. Say goodbye. You might not ever have a chance to again._

 _I don't know what will happen to you. It seems likely to me that you'll end up in some other reality, living another life. Just as I did._

 _But it's entirely possible that you just… cease existing. You won't die. You just won't have existed._

 _I understand that this is incredibly selfish of me. If I had known what would happen to you before I planted myself into your timeline, I may not have messed with time._

 _But what's done is done. And I'm sorry._

 _Make these days the best days you and Chloe have ever shared. She deserves it._

 _She loves you. She loves us. And we'll never forget you._

 _Also, sorry about the existential crisis this is going to start._

 _Xoxo,_

 _Future You  
_

…

The fluttering orange border of the photo began to close in around Max as she placed the journal back onto the bed. She left it open, its fresh ink shimmering as it settled into the page.

She was ready to return to the main timeline.

Well, almost.

She flung herself around on the bed and grabbed the photo she had just taken. The image had finally become clear. It was exactly the same as she remembered.

She gripped the edges, careful not to bend it. Lightly setting it into the journal, she took the pen and wrote on the space in the bottom. Her letters were wide and carefree – loving and kind. She left one final touch to one of Chloe's most prized possessions.

" _I will always love you._ "

* * *

The echoing is stopping. There's no sound, and the silence is truly _silent_ for once.

"Thank you." A familiar voice sounds through the In Between, cutting through the silence.

It's fading. Everything is still there, except not.

"Max is home."

* * *

Max's body jerked backward and her head hit something soft. Her hands were anchored to something hard and sleek as a stone that had been smoothed out by the constant flow of a rushing stream. She could hear a twangy voice singing delicately over an intricately played guitar… maybe it was a banjo? Something warm was pooling over her lips.

Her vision was the last of her senses to be returned to her. She whipped her head around, her eyes wide and her mouth left slightly ajar.

The familiar scene of the Two Whales diner was laid out before her. The jukebox was situated just to her right, Chloe to her front. They were in their usual spot at the back of the diner with copious amounts of food laid out before them. Joyce was working behind the counter, blissfully unaware of the commotion beginning to occur.

"Max! Are you okay?" Chloe jumped out of her seat and scrambled across the booth. She slid in the seat next to the brunette. She placed her hands on her temple, jerking Max's head toward her. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of Max's face, her pupils tinged with fear. With little regard for whatever was on the table, she ransacked it in search of a napkin. She shoved a plate aside and clutched a small white napkin, shoving it under Max's nose and dabbing away at whatever was gathering over her lips. "Max? Can you hear me?! Talk to me!"

"Chloe… Chloe, I'm fine," Max rasped. Her shoulders drooped forward as she relaxed into Chloe's touch.

 _I'm safe. I guess it worked?_

Chloe released some of the tension in her body. She let out a sigh of relief as she continued to dab away at the liquid.

Deep crimson stains dotted the tattered napkin. Chloe's fingers had been noticeably reddened by whatever it was.

 _Is that blood?_

"What the hell happened, Max? You scared the shit outta me." Chloe laid the napkin on the table and gripped Max's shoulders.

"So this is going to be a bit of a weird question, but..." Max sighed. "Did the other me start spending more time with you before I showed up? And did she ever explain something weird to you or say goodbye?"

Chloe furrowed her brow. "Yeah, you're right, that _is_ a weird question. Seriously Max, what the hell happened?" Her eyes travelled behind Max momentarily. Her eyes suddenly bulged and she returned her gaze to Max. "Did you photojump again?"

Max shrank away from Chloe and began to fiddle with her fingers. "Um… maybe?" She clenched one eye shut and looked up at the other girl with uncertainty.

Chloe's sighed, letting her head fall. "You had agreed that you wouldn't do that anymore, Max," She muttered.

Max raised an eyebrow. She attempted to wriggle their fingers together but Chloe pulled her hand away. "I never agreed to that? At least _this_ version of me never did."

Chloe slammed her fist on the table. "You fucking _did_ , though!" She shouted. She looked around her and noticed the glares she had received from others in the restaurant. "Sorry," She mumbled, turning back to Max."

"Chloe, I—"

"Just don't do that again, yeah? Please," Chloe interrupted.

Max sighed and leaned back into her seat. "I'll try."

"Good." Chloe pulled Max's hand into her own, giving it a light squeeze. "Sorry about my outburst. I just… I care about you. I don't want to see you hurt like that."

"I know, Chlo," Max murmured.

"What happened, Max? Why'd you photojump?" Chloe wrapped an arm around the smaller girl and pulled her closer.

Max rested her head on the bluenette's shoulder. "You asked me to give you the chance to say goodbye to the old me. So I travelled through a photo and left myself a note." Max shifted her head and rested her chin on Chloe's shoulder, gazing up at her. "Did she do what I said?"

Chloe nodded, her movements lethargic. She sighed. "Yeah. She mentioned something about somebody replacing her." She turned her head and looked down at Max. "I never believed her at the time, but she'd still say 'goodbye' every night. Shit…"

Max squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I mentioned this in my note to her, but if I'd known that I'd be replacing another version of me, I wouldn't have _ever_ tried to fix my own reality."

Chloe shrugged. "Don't be sorry, there's nothing you can do about it now. Just… thank you, I guess."

Max sighed. She thought she'd feel happy about what she'd done, but she didn't. She was glad to be with Chloe, as always, but she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the other version of her.

 _Maybe, one day, I'll see._


	8. We Are Diamonds Taking Shape

**Author's Notes:**

 **The events of this chapter are inspired by Adventure of a Lifetime – Coldplay.**

 **All credit is given to Coldplay for the song lyrics used and referenced in this chapter.**

* * *

The rest of that week passed rather quickly for Max. Between classes and the piles of homework she had begun to accumulate, she had possessed little time to be with Chloe.

As Friday approached, she neared the bottom of her seemingly endless pile of homework.

"Fucking… ugh!" Max slammed her math textbook shut and tossed it to the side. She leaned forward and put her head in her hands.

 _I swear to dog, if I have to find the partial fraction decomposition of one more freaking—_

Thunder crashed from outside, causing Max to jump.

A pretty intense storm had been gathering over Arcadia Bay for a few days, and it had finally broken open that day. It was pretty bad, but nothing near as bad as some _other_ ones that Max had witnessed.

A subtle 'ding' could be heard across the room, barely audible over the sounds of the storm.

She rose to her feet and bounded toward it, desperate for any possible distraction from her personal mountain of hell.

She clutched her phone and pulled it from her bedside table, her face lit with the anticipation of a message from Chloe. Her face, however, lost part of its glow when she saw who the message was from.

 **Dana:** Max! The Vortex Club party this weekend was cancelled, so I'm putting together a girl's night tonight in my room

 **Dana:** You want to come? It'll be great!

 **Max:** Who else is going?

 **Dana:** Juliet, Rachel and I think Rachel invited Kate

 **Max:** Yeah sure, I'll be over soon.

 **Dana:** Yesss girl! See you then!

 **Dana:** Wear PJs or something, please!

Max tossed her phone onto her bed and span around. She glared at what was left of her homework.

 _A over x plus… fuck off. I'm done with_ you _for tonight._

* * *

Max approached Dana's door and raised her hand to knock, but noticed that the door was cracked slightly open. Instead, she pushed the door open and peeked in.

Kate, Dana, Juliet and Rachel were already inside. Dana was sitting on the side of her bed, kicking her feet back and forth. Kate had pulled a chair from Dana's desk, while Juliet and Rachel occupied the couch.

"Max!" Kate cheered and jumped to her feet. She dashed across the room and wrapped her arms around Max in a hug.

Max hesitated for a moment before returning the hug. "You're cheery today." Max giggled.

Kate stepped back and nodded. "Yep! Just a great day, you know?" She pumped a fist in the air, turned on her heels and scampered back to her seat.

Max stepped to the couch and took a seat between Juliet and Rachel.

Juliet leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees. "So. Did you guys hear about that kid who got expelled today?"

Dana's body immediately straightened out. "What?! Who? What happened?"

Juliet shrugged. "I think it was Jimmy something? One of the security guards busted him with a shit-ton of weed. I guess he was dealing? Last I heard, the police were getting involved."

Rachel jumped slightly. Her eyes were wide. "Police?"

Kate's face was painted with horror. "Weed?"

Juliet chuckled. "Yes, Police." She turned her gaze to Kate. "And yes, weed. I don't know much at the moment, but I'm trying to figure out everything I can. I was _hoping_ one of you had heard something new, but I guess not?" She looked around the room, awaiting a response — a response which never came. "Oh, well. I have no idea how I'm going to write an article about this if nobody has any idea what's going on, but I'll have to figure it out, I suppose."

Silence filled the room for a moment. Dana coughed and gestured toward her laptop, which was sitting where her TV usually sat. "Wanna watch a movie, anyone? Kate got Warren's movie drive so we should have just about anything you can think of."

Rachel shrugged. "I'm down for anything."

Dana grinned. "We should watch The Notebook!" She slapped her knees excitedly. "It's perfect!"

Max raised an eyebrow. "Why is it perfect?"

Dana shrugged. "Beats me! It's just a good movie!"

Various groans filled the room, eliciting a glare from Dana.

"Fine. Anyone have any better ideas?" Dana crossed her arms.

"Ooh!" Kate raised her hand excitedly. "I have the perfect movie. I used to watch it with my family all the time!"

Everybody turned to Kate expectantly.

"The Passion of the Christ!"

Groans once again filled the room.

Kate slouched into her seat. "Sorry." She muttered.

"Soo… anyone else?" Dana let out an awkward laugh.

"We could watch Superman? Like you know, the one from the 70s?" Juliet suggested.

"You just want to watch that because you think Christopher Reeves is hot." Rachel nudged her shoulder.

"Well… yeah. But can you blame me? That reporter schtick he puts on in that movie? Ugh!" Juliet threw her arms up in faux frustration, a grin lining her face.

Dana turned to Max. "Do you—"

Dana was interrupted as the humming of the building's central air ceased, the lights going out with it. A particularly loud clap of thunder sounded from outside.

"Well… shit. Power's out." Rachel groaned.

"We can still watch a movie, can't we?" Max asked.

Dana shook her head. "My laptop has a shitty battery. We'd be lucky if it lasted any longer than ten minutes."

Max sighed. "Well, crap. Now what do we do?"

Kate jumped to her feet. "Ooh! I'll go get some candles!"

Juliet looked at Kate, her brow furrowed.

"For light. Yeah?" Kate shrugged and barreled out of the room.

Dana laughed. "Well, at least _somebody_ has a plan." Her eyes travelled to Max. "So… how've you been? Haven't seen you in a while."

Max smiled. "Fine, just busy."

Dana raised an eyebrow. "You've seemed… different lately. You sure you're fine?" She leaned forward slightly. "Seriously, if you need to talk, I'm here."

Max shook her head. "I'm fine, Dana."

Dana opened her mouth to speak again but was interrupted as Kate burst into the room, several lit candles in hand.

"Isn't that a bit of a fire hazard, Kate?" Max giggled.

Rachel rose to her feet and grabbed a few of the candles. She moved Dana's laptop onto her bed and placed the candles on the TV stand.

Kate grinned. "Probably. On second thought, I should've waited to light them, but I was just so excited! I love candles." She scattered the rest of the candles about the room, carefully placing them wherever light was needed.

Suddenly, Juliet bounced in her seat. Her features were painted with excitement. "I have an idea!"

Dana rolled her eyes, subduing a grin. "What?"

"Truth or dare!" Juliet clapped. "Sound good?" Juliet shifted in her seat so she was facing Rachel. "Okay, Rachel. Truth or dare?"

Rachel smirked. "Dare."

"I dare you to do an interview with me for that article I'm writing about the drama department."

"Juliet, I already told you I don't want to do that." Rachel sighed, her smirk fading. "I guess I have to now, don't I?"

Juliet nodded. "Yep! Text ya tomorrow."

"Shit." Rachel murmured. Her smirk returned as she turned to Max. "Okay, Max. Truth or dare?"

Max shrugged. "Truth?"

"Have you ever drank or smoked?"

Max coughed. "Oh, uh…" She shrank back into the couch. "No?"

Rachel tutted. "We'll have to fix that sometime soon, then. I'm surprised Chloe hasn't corrupted you yet." She jabbed the smaller girl's rib.

Max laughed. "She's definitely trying to." She glanced around the room. "I guess it's my turn?"

"Yep," Rachel said.

"Alright, then… Kate." Max turned to her. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth?" Kate slouched back into her chair.

Max gave her a reassuring smile. "You seem _way_ happier than normal today." Max tilted her head to the side. "So what exactly has got you in this mood?"

Kate's face immediately reddened. "I, u-um…" Kate stuttered. "Nothing! Just a great day. So beautiful and sunny—" Kate was cut off by the roaring sound of thunder from outside. "I…"

"Kate, it's been raining all day. Spill."

Kate sighed. "Okay, don't laugh at me, but…" She whipped her vision around the room, noticing that all eyes were on her. "Warren asked me out yesterday," She finally blurted out.

Silence momentarily overtook the room before Dana broke it with a squeal.

"Why the hell would we _laugh_ at you?! That's great, Kate!" Dana exclaimed.

"How'd you respond?" Max's eyes had widened; her eyebrows had raised as high as they could possibly go.

"I said 'yes'." Kate's blush deepened. "It really isn't that big of a deal…" She muttered.

Rachel shook her head. "Nope! It's a fucking _massive_ deal, Kate! You've never, like… dated anyone before, right?"

"Never."

"Then this is huge! Give me the deets! When is it? Where are you going?" Rachel interrogated.

"Some drive-in theater just outside town. We're seeing Planet of the Apes!" Kate clapped. "It's next Friday."

Dana let out another squeal. "Kate, you have to tell me _everything_ afterwards. Please!" Dana begged, clasping her hands together.

Kate giggled. "I will."

Max reached into her pocket and slid out her phone.

 **Max:** OH MY DOG WARREN ASKED KATE OUT

 **Chloe:** wait what

 **Chloe:** nerd boy and jesus chick?

 **Chloe:** tf

 **Max:** CHLOE THIS IS SERIOUS

 **Max:** MY LITTLE LONERS ARE GROWING UP

 **Chloe:** u sound like an overprotective mother

 **Max:** So what if I am?

 **Chloe:** fair enough

 **Chloe:** least ull be able to mother our little love children

 **Chloe:** theyll have my attitude and ur adorable little nose

 **Max:** And how exactly are you planning on us having children?

 **Max:** We could adopt or get a sperm donation but they wouldn't inherit from both of us?

 **Chloe:** hey i mean

 **Chloe:** science and shit man

 **Chloe:** theyll have figured out smth by then

 **Max:** Mm sure. Maybe /when pigs fly/.

 **Chloe:** BITCH WE ALREADY DISCUSSED THIS

 **Chloe:** THEYRE GONNA FLY

 **Chloe:** AND ENSLAVE US ALL

 **Chloe:** ITS GONNA HAPPEN

Max was torn from her phone by Juliet lightly tapping her knee. The reporter leaned close to Max's ear. "Jesus, Max. Your head looks like it's about to burst with how hard you're smiling." She straightened herself out and grinned.

Max shrugged. "I could think of worse ways to go."

"Okay, Kate. Your turn," Rachel announced.

Kate's eyes travelled from person to person before finally resting on Dana. "Dana. Truth or dare?"

"Dare." Dana crossed her legs.

Kate brought a finger to her chin. "Uh…"

Silence befell the room for several moments.

"Kate, can I take this? I have an idea." A devilish grin tugged at Rachel's lips.

Kate shrugged. "Sure."

"Alright, Dana." Rachel leaned forward, placing her hands on her knees. Suddenly, she jerked upward, her body growing stiff. "I dare you to sext Zachary."

"What the fuck, Rachel?!" Juliet leapt to her feet. "You know that _I'm_ dating him, right?!"

Dana gasped. "Rachel? The fuck is wrong with you?"

Rachel shrugged. Her movements were unnatural. "It's a dare. You must do as I say."

Dana shook her head. "No, _Rachel_. Fuck that. I'm not doing it."

Juliet scoffed. "Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you, Rachel?"

Rachel held a straight face. "Nothing is wrong with me. It _is_ only a dare, after all."

"A dare that could ruin my fucking relationship!"

Kate's voice squeaked over the squabble. "Guys, I'm getting tired, I—"

"Yeah, so am I, Kate." Juliet interrupted. "Tired of _this_ shit." She marched to the door and stepped into the hallway, slamming it shut.

Kate meekly stood up and shuffled to the door. "Thanks for the night, Dana. I, um… I'm gonna go back to my room." She gently opened the door and pulled it closed, leaving the other three alone.

Max's eyes travelled the room as she processed what had just happened.

Rachel hadn't moved at all. In fact, she was… _smiling_? She seemed happy – ecstatic, even.

Dana was frozen in place. Her mouth was hanging open, her eyebrows shooting for the stars.

An awkward silence permeated the room. A silence that lasted for what may have been several minutes before Max began to become antsy.

Her feet shifted to and fro as she fiddled with her fingers, desperate for something – anything – to kill the silence.

Finally, she planted her hands on her knees and lifted herself to her feet. "Goodnight, Dana. Rachel." She whirled around and rushed to the door. As the cold metal of the doorknob met the skin of her palm she heard talking behind her.

"Rachel. Get out." Dana strained. Her face grew hardened as she glared at Rachel. "We can talk about this tomorrow."

Rachel shrugged and jumped to her feet. "As you say."

Max ignored the scene behind her and threw the door open. She hiked the hallway toward her room.

 _What the fuck, Rachel?_

* * *

Max jerked awake. The storm had faded. Actually, everything had faded.

Confused and disoriented, Max rubbed her eyes and inspected the area around her. There was a thin line of light leading down a black corridor. She hesitated.

 _Where am I?_

She placed an arm to the ground for support and rose to her feet, her knees weak and her thoughts doubtful. An overwhelming sense of dread grasped at her heart, as if something were trying to warn her.

And yet, she ignored the warnings.

She careened down the path of light, following it through the hollow void that surrounded her. It seemed like it would never end. It did, however, end.

She stumbled upon Rachel, petrified in a standing position. An intense storm roared over her head. The storm only affected Rachel; it did nothing to the area around her.

The sense of dread in Max's heart grew as she examined the storm. She recognized it. She'd seen it before, albeit on a much larger scale.

 _A much larger scale…_

 _Arcadia Bay…_

This was Max's storm.

Max fell backwards at the revelation and landed on her back. Pain shot through her spine, causing her vision to blur momentarily.

She could hear movement — light footfalls echoing through the nothingness before her. Something was approaching her.

A familiar figure loomed over her. She began to blink rapidly to clear her vision. In an attempt to get away from whatever it was, she kicked, but found herself immobile.

As her vision was restored, she could make out the figure.

It looked empty. A smirk occupied its face. It was a face that she had hid away in her mind; one that she hadn't seen since… well, the storm. Since that hellish nightmare.

 _Is that me?_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **You might have noticed that 2 chapters have suddenly disappeared.**

 **Don't fret! I decided to combine the first three chapters into one. I edited them a bit to flow better and removed the first scene. Hopefully it works better as an introduction!**


	9. Don't Let Me Be Gone

**Author's Notes:**

 **The events of this chapter are inspired by Goner – Twenty One Pilots.**

 **All credit is given to Twenty One Pilots for the song lyrics used and referenced in this chapter.**

* * *

"Long time no see, Max." Darkness fell from her mouth as she spoke, shrouding her body in a black mist.

Max could do nothing but shake and listen. She tried to block it out, but she couldn't. Her thoughts were not her own.

"Who are you?" Max struggled to speak. Each syllable was like a knife being driven into her mind, then twisted by a force she could not see.

"Don't play stupid. I'm _you_. I'm the voice in the back of your head sounding the trumpets of doubt; the chorus of screams running through your psyche just when everything seems like it might be okay." A laugh echoed. "I am, both literally and metaphorically, your weaknesses embodied."

"Where am I?"

"Ah… so many questions." Max's Weakness stepped forward, inching ever closer to the girl. "Don't worry, you're asleep. Safe, if that means anything anymore."

"Why are you here?"

"Okay, fucking stop with the questions. That gets old fast." Max's Weakness marched forward until she was looming over the girl. Her face was empty, her eyes enveloped in darkness. "But, if you must know, I'm concerned for you." She smirked. "I know, shocking, right? Come, follow me. We must talk."

Max's feet struggled for purchase with the ground as she rose to her feet. Her knees quaking, she limped to follow her Weakness, who had already begun advancing down the path of light before them.

"Wait! Why are you here?" Max shouted. She caught up to her Weakness and began walking alongside her.

"I told you to shut the fuck up with the questions. I'll explain later." Her Weakness's head swung to the side, regarding her with a dark expression. "I need to show you something first."

The path tapered off before them, constricting to a cliffside overlooking Arcadia Bay. The darkness faded around them, giving way to an image of the lighthouse. A storm raged around them, a tornado whipped over the ocean as it approached the town below.

Rain was surging forth from the clouds, but Max and her Weakness were unaffected by it. In fact, something was off about the scene. The minute details that make the world interesting were absent, its colors were mostly solid. The ocean remained motionless and what few waves were present were frozen in time.

"Under any other circumstances, I'd wait and watch the meltdown you're about to have, but for now…" Max's Weakness approached the edge of the outcropping and turned around. "Shut up and listen. This isn't real. It's a reconstruction based off of your memories. I'm in your head. You're in your head. Now will you calm down and get over here?"

Max paced to her Weakness's side. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, representative of the fear and confusion she felt in that moment.

"Max… I get it. I _really_ do. And to be honest – which, by the way, honesty is _really_ fucking difficult for me – I don't blame you."

Max felt as though she could collapse at any moment. She steeled herself for the worst. "For what?" She muttered. Tears gathered in her eyes as she gazed over the town.

"For all of this. The storm… and whatever is happening right now."

Max's body jerked upward, her eyes wide and her heart blaring the drums of panic from her chest. "W-what's happening right now?" Her body felt rigid, her blood was cold.

"How fucking dense _are_ you?" Her Weakness chuckled. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for." She turned to Max and grasped her shoulder, yanking her around. Max stared into her Weakness's eyes and saw everything she had ever hated about herself, rolled up into a single entity. "You really haven't noticed all the weird shit going on around you?"

Max shook her head.

"Max, Rachel was _seriously_ out of character tonight. And remember Warren a few days ago? When he said that cryptic shit about being your own worst enemy?" She smirked. "Which, by the way, is _total_ bullshit. Slanderous, if I do say so myself."

Max sighed. "What are you trying to get at?" Her face strained as she spoke.

"Something is wrong, Max. Don't you see?" She gestured toward the storm. Her voice rose in desperation as she spoke. "That wasn't normal _either_ , Max. And there's no way in hell that it was an isolated event. Now, I don't think there'll be another storm, but…"

"But what?"

"I don't know."

The area around them began to fade.

"Why are you helping me?" A sharp pain rang through Max's head. She raised a hand to her temple and winced.

"Max, I'm a part of you. If you die, I die. And believe it or not, I don't want to die."

Max observed something reflecting light around her Weakness's eyes.

 _Are those… tears?_

She clenched her fist. "What do I do?" She growled through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the pain in her head.

Arcadia Bay had completely disappeared, replaced by the previous blackness of the void.

"I don't know." Max's Weakness strode backward, letting the veil of darkness surrounding them overtake her.

"Wait! You can't just tell me all of this and _leave_!"

Silence enclosed Max. The burning sensation in her head grew in strength, spreading like a wildfire to every part of her body.

The sound of a gentle piano infiltrated her ears. She couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. She could hear a voice… it was singing over the piano.

A loose warmness coated her body. It felt soft, like a light fabric.

Darkness faded, giving way to light.

The light of day.

The light of the real world.

* * *

" _I'm a goner, somebody catch my breath…"_

Max batted her eyes open. Her heart was racing, but she was still so weak. She tried to sit up, but her arms gave way and she fell back onto the bed.

" _I want to be known by you…"_

Max's attention diverted to the music filling her room. She timed her breathing with the rhythm in an attempt to calm herself down.

A storm was still raging outside. Its cacophonous sounds clashed with the soft melody filtering from her hi-fi.

" _Though I'm weak and beaten down…_ "

She rolled onto her side, wincing as a sharp pain ran up her spine. She grabbed her phone and turned it on, blinking rapidly to adjust her eyes to the bright light.

 _11:37 PM. It's still April 25th… so it_ was _just a dream?_

" _I'll slip away into the sound…_ "

She sighed. Tears welled up in her eyes, awaiting their chance to escape – a chance that they soon received. A loud sob escaped her mouth, prompting the tears to follow. She clutched her blanket over her head.

" _The ghost of you is close to me…_ "

Her hands dashed through her hair. Her knees raised to her chest as she curled up under the blanket. Tears saturated her pillow as they fell from her face.

" _I'm inside out, you're underneath."_

Several minutes passed before she gained control of her emotions. Wiping the area around her eyes, she pulled her blanket away from her face and grabbed her phone. Her hands shook as she unlocked it and navigated to her messaging app.

 **Max:** Hey Chloe.

 **Max:** Are you awake?

 **Chloe:** yea

 **Chloe:** whats up?

 **Max:** I had a dream.

 **Max:** I think it was a dream, anyway.

 **Chloe:** r u ok?

 **Max:** I don't know.

 **Max:** You remember when I told you about that nightmare I had during the storm?

 **Chloe:** yea

 **Max:** The version of me that I met in that nightmare was in my dream.

 **Chloe:** srsly max, r u ok?

 **Max:** I don't know.

 **Chloe:** alright

 **Chloe:** ill be there in a bit

 **Max:** Chloe, wait

 **Max:** Don't leave your house. I don't want you out in that storm.

 **Max:** Chloe?

 _Shit._

* * *

Knock. Knock.

Max heard a rapid knocking at her door. She sat up on the edge of her bed and took a moment to compose herself.

 _Focus on breathing. 1… 2…_

"Max? You in there?" A muffled voice asked.

"Yeah. I'm coming."

She pushed herself off of her bed. Her legs nearly gave way as she rose to her feet and stumbled to the door. She grasped the doorknob for support and twisted it, pulling the door open.

Chloe stood before her. She was drenched, her hair and clothes dripping rainwater onto the floor.

The bluenette's eyes were wide, her body language was emitting an aura of concern. She placed her hands on the other girl's shoulders. "Max, what's going on? You're so pale." She advanced into the room and kicked the door shut behind her. "Come on." She guided the smaller girl to the couch.

Max collapsed onto the couch, stifling more tears. "Chloe… something is _seriously_ wrong."

Chloe sat down and wrapped an arm around her. She pulled the brunette close to her. "What is it?"

Max leaned into the taller girl, resting her head on her shoulder. "For the past week, strange shit has been happening. I've been trying to ignore it, but…" An intense sob pushed past her mental barriers. She buried her face in Chloe's arm as she cried.

Chloe squeezed Max's arm, pulling her closer. "It's okay, it's okay… everything's okay." Chloe whispered. She kissed the top of Max's head.

"No, Chloe." Max choked out between sobs. "Everything is _not_ okay. That's my problem." She swallowed. She took a deep breath and sat up slightly. "On, uh, Monday, I was talking to Warren." She began to shake lightly as she recalled what had happened. "Everything was normal at first. But something flashed across his face, causing him to jump. It looked like something had sapped the life out of him. He said something about being my own worst enemy, but he didn't remember saying anything afterwards. He said he had a headache and that he'd zoned out or something."

"Um… wow." Chloe sighed. "I don't know, Max."

"And then, tonight… Rachel did something similar," Max muttered.

"What?" Chloe's face was expressionless. If she was feeling anything, she was doing a damn good job of hiding it.

"Kate, Dana, Juliet, Rachel and I were playing Truth or Dare. Everything was normal, but Rachel changed. Like, she was still there. But I don't think it was _her_." Max sighed. "I didn't notice an immediate difference like I did with Warren, but I think it was the same thing. She dared Dana to sext with Zachary. Juliet got mad and stormed out. But Rachel seemed so… unnatural. She wasn't acting like herself and her movements were all so robotic."

"Wow," Chloe murmured. She was running her hand up and down Max's arm, rubbing it in what she hoped was a comforting manner.

"After that, I left. I came back to my room and fell asleep. And that's what I had the dream." Max sniffled. "I just want to live a normal life, Chloe. I'm so goddamn sick of this _shit_."

Silence filled the room, allowing the two to process everything.

 _I'm going to have to figure out what's going on. But how?_

"Chloe, what if this is my fault? What if my—"

"No, Max. I don't want you blaming yourself. We don't have all of the information yet. We have no fucking _clue_ what's going on." Chloe interrupted, her voice stern.

"I'm sorry. I just want to understand what's going on, you know?" Max sniffed.

Chloe smiled. "I get it, Max. But let's not jump to conclusions. This could be nothing."

"I doubt it. Stuff like this doesn't just _happen,_ Chloe."

"Why couldn't it?" Chloe raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Max.

Max glanced at the bluenette. "Chloe, how could you seriously say that this is normal?"

"I'm not saying that it's _normal_ , but who's to say that it's something dangerous? Maybe it's just… weird timey shit or something. Side effects of your photojumping?" Chloe shrugged.

"But what if these side effects lead to something worse?"

Chloe shook her head. "We don't know that it will."

"But my nightmare said that—"

"Max, it was a _nightmare_. Sure, it could've been your subconscious trying to tell you something, but you don't _know_ that."

"Chloe, it felt so real. It was unlike anything I've dreamt before." Max wiped a few stray tears away from her eyes.

Chloe kissed Max's cheek. "I love you. Just, relax for now. We can worry about this tomorrow."

Max yawned. "I love you too." She laid her head on Chloe's shoulder and scooted closer to her. She nuzzled into her shoulder.

The two sat in silence for nearly an hour before Max finally drifted off into sleep – a sleep that was _much_ calmer than her previous.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I feel like it's worth mentioning that it's 100% coincidental that the current date in this story is incredibly close to the current date as of the publication of this chapter.  
**


	10. Trippin' Over Landlines

**Author's Notes:**

 **The events of this chapter are inspired by Tidal Wave – Portugal. The Man.**

 **All credit is given to Portugal. The Man for the song lyrics used and referenced in this chapter.**

* * *

 **Max:** Chloeeeeeeee

 **Max:** Chlooooooeeeee

 **Max:** CHLOOOOEEEEEE

 **Chloe:** HOLY FUCK CALM DOWN

 **Max:** Noooooo!

 **Chloe:** lmao whats gotten into u

 **Max:** I miss youuuuu!

 **Chloe:** i literally just went to the bathroom

 **Chloe:** ive been gone for like 2 minutes tops

 **Max:** Too long. :(

 **Chloe:** i see that emoji

 **Max:** ;-;

 **Chloe:** ok bye

 **Max:** WAIT NO CHLOE

 **Max:** CHLOOOEEEE

 **Chloe:** BITCH PLEASE I WAS JOKING

 **Chloe:** im omw back calm down

 **Max:** :*

Chloe chuckled. She rested her hand by her side and, with a small hop, continued her trek back to Max's room. She scanned the hallway until her eyes rested on a door she was very familiar with.

Rachel's door was cracked open slightly, a gentle light filtering from it into the hallway. Chloe stopped in her tracks.

 _You know, I_ could _ask her about what happened last night. Hm…_

Chloe sighed and began tapping away at her phone once more.

 **Chloe:** ill be back in like 10 minutes or smth

 **Chloe:** gonna go talk to rach about what happened

 **Max:** Noo! I'll come with you.

 **Chloe:** nah i think I should do this alone

 **Chloe:** u dont know her as well as i do, and we dont want to accidentally make things worse

 **Max:** Fiiiine.

 **Chloe:** love you, be back soon

 **Max:** 3

Pocketing her phone, Chloe approached the open door and pushed it lightly. She allowed it to fall open before gazing past it.

The room was in complete disarray; her bed was disheveled and the contents of her closet spilled forth into the room. The window was left open and the area around it was soaked in rainwater from the previous night. The only thing in the area that was left unaffected was Rachel's laptop, which sat open on her desk.

Chloe leaned back into the hallway and looked around her one last time before stepping into the room. Her movements careful and calculated, she approached Rachel's bed.

Rachel sat against her headboard facing the wall opposite the door. As Chloe neared her, Rachel turned her head.

"What do you want?" She muttered. She brought her knees to her chest.

Chloe hesitated. "Just want to talk."

Silence filled the room momentarily.

Rachel sighed. "Why are you here? I know you didn't just decide to come have small talk."

Chloe cleared her throat. "Rachel, I wanted to check on you." She sat on the bed. "What happened last night?"

Rachel scooted away from her. "Oh great, that's already spreading around the school. Fucking fantastic." Her shoulders tensed as she squeezed her legs closer to her chest.

"No, it isn't. I… Max told me. I'm just concerned, Rachel. Why'd you do that?"

"I didn't fucking do _anything_!" Rachel shouted. She whipped her head around to face Chloe. Her hazel eyes burned with desperation. "It wasn't me." A single tear escaped from the wildfire behind her eyes.

"I just want to know what happened, Rachel."

Rachel shook her head violently, slamming a fist onto the bed. "I… I don't know _what_ happened, Chloe."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know." She grunted. "It's like, I was _there_ , but somebody else was doing it." She squinted.

Chloe nodded. She recalled her conversation with Max. "Max _did_ mention that you seemed different."

"I _felt_ different! It was terrifying." Rachel sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Juliet's not going to want to talk to me. I'll be lucky if she _ever_ does."

Chloe shook her head. "That's not true. You've known her for forever; one small thing shouldn't be enough for her to just shun you completely. And if she _does_ , then maybe she wasn't ever a real friend at all."

Rachel shrugged. "I don't know. I wouldn't blame her if she did." She murmured.

Chloe rested a hand on Rachel's shoulder. "I would. Rach… if you're telling the truth, then this isn't really your fault, is it?" She sighed. "You're a great person, Rachel. Stop beating yourself up over this."

"Thanks." Rachel whispered. "I just feel like I could've stopped it somehow, y'know? I don't know if I _could've_ , but all I can think about is that it must've been my fault somehow. Hell, I don't even believe _myself_ when I say that I didn't do it."

Chloe scratched her chin. "I get it. I know what it's like to blame yourself for something you couldn't have helped, believe me."

Rachel chuckled. "Yeah, I guess."

Chloe's phone buzzed in her pocket. She stretched her arms and hopped off of the bed. "Alright, I gotta dash, but text me if you need anything, mkay? I'll drop whatever I'm doing and talk to you."

Rachel shot her a weak smile. "Thanks."

"No problem!" Chloe said over her shoulder as she exited the room.

Once in the hallway, Chloe retrieved her phone from her jean pocket.

 **Max:** Okay I'm feeling extra clingy today hurrrryyyyyyy!

 **Chloe:** yeah, yeah

 **Chloe:** meet me in the parking lot

 **Chloe:** i need to get out of this hellhole for a bit

 **Max:** Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes.

 **Max:** How'd everything go with Rachel?

 **Chloe:** ill tell you in the car

* * *

Birdsong filled the air, juxtaposed by the distant rumbling of thunder. Dark clouds filled the sky, threatening to burst open at any moment.

Chloe leaned back in the driver's seat of her truck and gazed at the ceiling.

Her mind raced as she processed what had happened the past two days. She mulled over everything she had been told and everything she had experienced first-hand, but all of it just left her confused.

A distant panic appeared in her mind, encroaching on her consciousness. Tears peaked out from behind her eyes. Clenching her teeth, she forced her thoughts away.

 _I need to stay calm. Max can't see me this way._

A raindrop hit the windshield. Then another… and another, giving way to a downpour.

Chloe jumped in her seat at a loud 'thunk' from the passenger's side door. It swung open, revealing a completely drenched Max.

The brunette jumped in the car and slammed the door shut. She sighed. "Well that sucked."

Chloe laughed. "What, you don't it when something makes you wet?" She winked.

"Not rea—" A grin shot across her face. "Oh, fuck you!" She giggled and slapped Chloe's shoulder.

"That's the idea." Chloe started the truck, a smile stretching across her face.

She pulled out of the parking lot onto the open road.

"So, what happened with Rachel?" Max inquired. She rested her head against the passenger side window, staring out at the world as it passed them by.

Chloe sighed. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. "I don't know." She strained. "She said that she was aware of what was happening but had no control over it. Like she was just watching somebody else do something through their own eyes, I guess."

Max clenched her eyes shut. "Wow." She muttered.

The sound of rain and tires hitting the road filled the air as the two became lost in their own thoughts.

"I'm scared, Chloe."

"I know, babe." Chloe stomped the gas pedal. "So am I."

A somber grin overtook Max's face. She turned to look at the taller girl. "Babe, huh? We're at the point of pet names now?"

Chloe smiled and nodded. "Yep. If you're fine with it, of course."

Max returned her head to the window. "I am… babe." She said, uncertainty lacing her voice. She cringed at her own awkwardness.

Chloe stifled a laugh.

"By the way, where are we going?"

Chloe shrugged. "Originally, the lighthouse, but… it seems that the rain gods decided otherwise."

Max giggled.

"I guess we'll head to my place? I don't know, I just wanted to get out of Blackwell for a while." Chloe glanced at Max.

The brunette smiled at her. "That sounds good to me, _sweetie_."

* * *

"Chloe!"

…

"Chlooooeeeeee!"

…

"Chlooee—"

"What do you want?" Chloe snapped. She span around from her desk, trying and failing to hide a grin.

"I'm boooored!" Max whined, rocking back and forth on Chloe's bed.

"Hi bored, I'm Chloe." Chloe chuckled and returned to facing her desk.

"What are you doing anyway?" Max laid back on the bed.

"Job hunting." Chloe groaned. She leaned forward in her seat and continued scrolling through an endless list of minimum wage jobs.

"Ooh!" Max squealed. She clapped her hands. "They grow up so fast." She faked a sniffle.

"Bite me." Chloe shot a middle finger in her direction.

"Mmn… maybe." Max giggled.

Chloe relaxed back in her seat for a moment. She listened at the music filtering from her laptop speakers. She had decided to play some pop playlist instead of what she would normally listen to. An upbeat song filled the air; one that Chloe didn't necessarily love, but could tolerate.

"Why aren't you playing your normal stuff? Finally sick of the angst?" Max teased.

Chloe shook her head. "Nah, just wanted something happy."

"Fair enough."

" _I can see it in your eyes,_

 _See it in your face…_ "

"How's shit going at Blackwell? I mean, other than whatever happened last night." Chloe asked, her attention still focused on her laptop screen.

"Fine, I guess. It's just normal school shit. I can't _wait_ to be out for the summer."

"When's that?" Chloe turned to face Max.

Max sat up. "Uh… June 6th I think? Something like that."

" _Bangin' on your chest,_

 _Actin' tough, lookin' unphased…_ "

Chloe smiled. "We need to do something this summer. Just the two of us."

"Like what?"

Chloe shrugged. "I dunno." She shifted her jaw and looked upward in thought. "Like, a roadtrip?" Her smile grew. "Yes! That'd be hella awesome!"

Max grinned. "Dork. But yeah, that'd be cool. Where'd we go?"

" _Trippin' over landlines,_

 _Cuttin' deep with a dull blade_ …"

Chloe tilted her head. "Um… maybe we could go to Seattle? Visit your parents? And… ooh!" She clapped. "We could totally go to Portland! That'd be amazeballs!"

" _Running out of unrest,_

 _Goin' out of your mind._ "

Max giggled. "Yes, we could. You're so adorable when you're excited."

"What's gotten into you?" Chloe smirked. "You're never this playful, and you rarely flirt with me."

Max shrugged. "I 'unno."

Chloe stopped the music and rose to her feet. She strutted toward Max. "Nah, I know what this is. You _want_ something."

Max blushed. "What are you talkin—"

Chloe interrupted her by placing a hand delicately under her chin and pulling her forward, meeting her lips with her own. Passion arose in her heart, but she restrained it slightly so as not to move too quickly. She knew what she wanted, and she knew that it would come soon enough.

Chloe pulled away. "I know what you want." She whispered into the smaller girl's ear, her voice low and gravelly.

"Um… wha—what do I want?" Max stuttered. Her body tensed.

"Oh, I don't know." Chloe pushed her backward onto the bed. She crawled on top of her, her legs on either side of Max's and her arms near her chest. " _Me_."

"O—oh. Well, um… yeah." Nervousness laced her voice as she spoke.

Chloe crawled up Max's body until her face was over the brunette's. The way Max's eyes sparkled with an anxious lust drove Chloe absolutely insane with want.

She dropped her head, their lips meeting with an intense force. Chloe slid her tongue against Max's lower lip, requesting entry. Max accepted her without hesitation. The tongues met and clashed in a battle of pure, unbridled passion.

Chloe's hand snaked underneath Max's shirt, slowly tracing up her side. The smooth skin at her fingertips filled Chloe with an intense longing for more.

Chloe separated from the kiss, resting their foreheads together. "Are you okay with this?" She asked as her hand approached Max's chest.

Max smiled. "Yeah." She whispered. "I am."

Chloe nodded. "Okay." She sat up and placed her hands at the hem of her shirt. She pulled it upward slowly, shaking her hips.

Max bit her lip.

Chloe tossed her shirt to the side and crawled backward slightly. She gripped Max's shirt and began to tug on it.

Max lifted her head and back off of the bed, allowing Chloe to remove her shirt.

Chloe's eyes travelled up and down the smaller girl's body. Even though a lot was currently being left to the imagination, what she could see was beautiful to her.

Max leaned up on her elbows and pulled Chloe into another kiss.

A quiet rumbling noise sounded from beyond Chloe's door; one that neither of them noticed.

Chloe's hands rested on Max's bra. She rolled her a hand over her nipple through the cloth, eliciting a moan from the smaller girl.

The door slammed open. "Chloe, I—" A loud gasp echoed through the room. "Oh my!"

Chloe jumped off of Max, turning toward the door.

Joyce stood just outside the room, a hand over her mouth and her eyes clenched shut.

"What the _fuck_ , Mom?! Ever heard of knocking?" Chloe shouted.

"I… get dressed and meet me downstairs. I need to talk to you." Joyce muttered. She turned around and shut the door.

"Well… fuck." Chloe murmured.

Max sat completely frozen. Her face resembled a cherry; her eyes were as wide as they could go. "U—uh…" She stuttered.

Chloe grumbled. She slid off of the bed and pulled her shirt back on. "Talk about getting blue-balled." She groaned as she ambled across the room. "Sorry about that, Max." She glanced over her shoulder.

"U—uh, it's… fine." Max sputtered.

"Mhm." Chloe smirked as she exited the room.

* * *

Chloe stomped into the living room.

Joyce was seated on the couch, a cup of coffee in hand. She was still wearing her work outfit.

"What the fuck do you want?" Chloe demanded as she approached the couch.

"Watch your mouth, Chloe." Joyce's southern drawl adopted a stern inflection. "David was concerned that you had been tokin' up in your room again, so he asked me if he could search your room."

Chloe snorted. "What the _fuck_?" Her brow furrowed. "You told him he couldn't, right?"

Joyce sighed. "No, Chloe. I didn't."

Chloe threw her arms out in frustration. "Of course, I'd forgotten that you'd never heard of fucking _privacy_ , Mom!"

Joyce's face hardened. "He found a weed in your room, Chloe. How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from that stuff?"

Chloe shook her head. "I don't give a fuck what he found. What gives you – and especially _him_ – the right to go through my shit like that?!" She yelled.

"I'm your mother, I have every right." Joyce stood up.

"Like hell you do!" Chloe stepped forward. "You know what?! Fuck it. I don't care what you have to say." She whipped around and stormed down the hallway. She raged upstairs and barged into her room.

Max was sitting on the edge of her bed on her phone. Her vision leaped up to Chloe as she entered the room, her eyes growing with concern as she saw the state the taller girl was in. "What happened?" She inquired.

Chloe sighed. She slid her hands into her pockets and strolled toward Max. "Stepdick went through my shit and found my weed stash. Mom let him." She sat next to Max.

An incredulous look overtook Max's face. "What? She _let_ him?"

Chloe nodded, anger burning in her eyes. The fire began to diminish as she let her vision meet with Max's. "Yep! I mean, we already know she doesn't appreciate the simple fucking concept of privacy, so…" Chloe groaned. "Sorry about her… interruption, by the way."

Max shrugged. "Literally doesn't matter. I'm just worried about _you_."

Chloe shook her head. "Don't be. I just want to relax now."

"Okay." Max yawned. "It's getting late, anyway."

Chloe laid back on the bed, pushing herself toward its top. "That it is. I need some sleep after this fuckin' day."

Max laid down next to her.

Chloe pulled her into a hug, spooning her. "Night."

Max grabbed the bluenette's hands, squeezing them lightly. "Goodnight, babe. I'm sorry about today."

"Don't be, it isn't your fault."

"Is that true?"

"Of course." Chloe tightened her grip on the brunette. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Max sighed. "This is only happening because I replaced the other me. If I hadn't—"

"I don't wanna hear it. This isn't your fault."

A moment passed.

"Okay."


	11. Expensive Mistakes

**Author's Notes:**

 **The events of this chapter are inspired by Wilson (Expensive Mistakes) – Fall Out Boy.**

 **All credit is given to Fall Out Boy for the song lyrics used and referenced in this chapter.**

* * *

Beep. Beep.

"Screw off," Max muttered. She rolled over and slapped her phone.

Beep. Beep.

"Go away," She whined.

Beep. Beep.

Max groaned. She sat up and grabbed her phone, swiping to dismiss the alarm.

 _7:12 AM._

She glanced at her class schedule.

 _It's Sunday, isn't it? Wait…_

She looked at her phone.

 _Monday. Shit._

A few minutes passed as she allowed herself time to wake up. Finally, she walked to her closet, grabbed her shower bag and stepped into the hallway.

The halls were empty; everything was quiet. It was mostly barren of light, save for the small amounts of light filtering in through various windows.

Max entered the shower room and looked around. One of the showers was running, but other than that, it was empty.

She approached an empty shower stall and stepped inside, closing the curtain behind her. She turned on the shower, grabbed what she needed and stripped herself of her clothes. She stepped into the warm water, letting it cascade around her as she began to wash.

The door creaked open and fell shut. The sound of squeaking filled the room as someone entered the room. A faucet began to run.

A squeal reverberated from the other stall, causing Max to jump. Before she had a chance to wonder what caused it, the water hitting her body turned ice cold.

"Water!" Max shouted.

"Sorry!" A voice replied.

The water soon returned to its normal temperature.

The shower in the next stall over suddenly turned off. The curtain was thrown open, followed by soft footfalls leading out of the stall.

"Juliet. Hey."

"Oh, it's _you_. Hi, Rachel."

"Look, I—"

"No. I don't want to talk about it. Just leave me alone."

"Please, just let me—"

"Oh my God, okay. Let's hear it again. Maybe you'll actually apologize this time?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know what happened, but I didn't mean to. It wasn't me, I—"

"Oh, fuck off. Seriously? Why can't you even apologize without making shit up?"

"Wait…"

Stomps echoed through the room, followed by the door slamming.

Max leaned out of the shower and peeked around the curtain.

Rachel was standing over one of the sinks, leaning against it with her head down.

Max sighed and turned off the water. She hastily dried herself off and got dressed. Approaching the curtain, she pulled it open.

"Hey, Rachel." She stepped out of the stall and walked to Rachel.

"Huh?" Rachel glanced over her shoulder. "Oh. Hey, Max."

"I, um… not to be nosy, but—"

"You heard all of that." Rachel interrupted. She turned around. "It's fine, Max. I don't care. I just… I don't know what to do."

Max shrugged. "Just apologize? Like, just take responsibility for it, even if you didn't actively _do_ anything. Don't try to justify it, don't make excuses. Just apologize."

"I don't know, Max. Like… it feels weird taking responsibility for it. _I_ know I didn't do it, but it still just sounds like a shitty excuse," Rachel muttered.

Max nodded. "I understand," She said. "But regardless of if you consciously did it or not, you're probably gonna have to take responsibility for it. Juliet's not gonna have it any other way."

Rachel sighed. "Thanks, Max. I guess I'll try… if she's even willing to talk to me."

Max hummed. "I might be able to help you with that. I'll text you after school."

"Good luck. I'll be surprised if she agrees to do anything if she knows that I'll be there."

Max smirked. "Who says that she'll know?"

"Ooh, sneaky." Rachel chuckled.

Max nodded. She turned away from Rachel and stepped toward the door. "I'll talk to you later, Rachel."

"Yep. See ya, Max."

* * *

That day passed by rather quickly. Most of the classes had been fairly boring, and as such, Max had tuned out most of the lectures. She had mainly just sat and daydreamed, ignoring whatever was being taught.

Finally, her favorite part of the school day had arrived: her Photography class.

Max hiked through the hallways of the school, gripping her books against her chest. Students passed by either side of her, chattering, laughing, hollering – the usual behavior of students at Blackwell.

Her hand rested on the cold metal of the doorknob of her Photography classroom. She attempted to open the door, but the knob resisted her push. It wouldn't budge.

She took a step back and regarded the door. There was a note taped to the window, loosely hanging to it by a single strip of duct tape.

…

 _Language of Photography is cancelled until further notice._

 _Students, please check your emails for more information._

…

Max scoffed. She placed her books against the wall and yanked her phone from her pocket. She opened her email app.

…

 **Principal Wells  
**

Hello Language of Photography Students,

Because of the abrupt disappearance of Miss Peters, all Language of Photography classes have been cancelled until a suitable replacement can be found. We apologize for the inconvenience.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Nancy B. Peters, please contact the Arcadia Bay Police Department.

…

Max sighed.

 _Shit._

She navigated to her conversation with Chloe.

 **Max:** So, guess how my day's going.

 **Chloe:** absolutely perfect in every way because ur talking to me?

 **Max:** Nice try, but no.

 **Max:** This is the best part so far though, if that means anything.

 **Max:** Anyway, my Photography class has been cancelled indefinitely, so that's great.

 **Chloe:** wait what

 **Chloe:** y

 **Max:** My teacher disappeared or something. Have you been watching the news at all?

 **Chloe:** nah but i can check it hold up

 **Chloe:** whats her name?

 **Max:** Nancy Peters.

 **Chloe:** holy shit

 **Chloe:** yeah its all over the place dude

 **Chloe:** here

 **Chloe has shared a link.**

Max raised an eyebrow as she tapped it, waiting for the page to load.

…

 **Famed Photographer Nancy Peters Reported Missing**

 **By Lois Streets**

Arcadia Bay resident and renowned photographer Nancy Peters was reported missing Sunday afternoon.

In a press conference early Monday morning, Sheriff Anderson Berry reported that her location is currently unknown, but that foul play is suspected. He requested that "any information regarding [her] disappearance be forwarded to the Arcadia Bay Police Department with utmost urgency".

She was last seen on Friday afternoon at Blackwell Academy.

…

 **Max:** Well, shit.

 **Max:** It'll take them forever to find a new teacher, too.

 **Max:** I wonder what happened to her. I don't think she's known for disappearing randomly.

 **Chloe:** yeah its weird

 **Chloe:** sry the mothership is calling me, i gotta go see what she wants

 **Chloe:** ill text u later k?

 **Max:** Ok, love you.

 **Chloe:** love u 2, now go be a good kid and work on hw or something idk

Max chuckled. She hummed and checked the time.

 _Well, I_ guess _I could set up my couple's counselling session._

She scrolled through her contacts.

 **Max:** Hey Juliet, you want to meet up and study later for that science test?

 **Juliet:** Uhhh yeah sure

 **Juliet:** Is anybody else going?

 **Max:** I don't know yet.

 **Juliet:** Alright

 **Juliet:** Where do u want to meet?

 **Max:** I was thinking we could check out that new coffee shop near Two Whales? When can you be there?

 **Juliet:** Sounds good. I can be there in like 30 mins

 **Max:** Okay, see you there!

She leaned down to pick up her books. Walking down the hallway, she texted Rachel.

 **Max:** Okay, I'm meeting Juliet at that coffee shop near the Two Whales in around half an hour. Can you meet me there in about twenty minutes?

 **Rachel:** I guess

 **Rachel:** but she's just gonna leave if she sees me there, Max

 **Max:** That's why you'll be waiting outside for my signal.

 **Rachel:** oooh ok

 **Rachel:** subtle, I like it

 **Rachel:** what's the signal?

 **Max:** I'll probably just text you or something.

 **Max:** To be honest I haven't really thought it all the way through yet.

 **Rachel:** lol ok

 **Rachel:** see ya there

* * *

"Max."

Max muttered something unintelligible – to both herself and the outside world.

"Max!"

Something grasped her shoulder, shaking it lightly.

"Maaaax!"

"What?" Max murmured. She raised her head and slowly opened her eyes.

Juliet was sitting on a across from her, a freshly brewed cup of coffee in hand. The sounds of the outside world surrounded them. Cars were zooming around them, sirens were sounding in the distance.

"Tired?" Juliet grinned.

Max nodded. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes. "Yep."

"I can't imagine that our science textbook makes for a very good pillow." Juliet chuckled.

Max smiled and shook her head. "No, it most certainly doesn't." She giggled.

"So, Max," Juliet started, leaning back in her chair. "How've you been lately? Haven't had a normal, one on one chat with you in a while."

Max shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Schoolwork's been pretty normal."

Juliet shook her head. "I'm not asking about _schoolwork_ , I'm asking about your life! Like, what've you been up to?" She leaned forward, placing her arms on the table and pulling herself closer. "Anything interesting?"

Max titled her head. "Um… I don't think so. My life is pretty boring, Juliet."

"Nonsense! There has to be _something_ worth talking about," She insisted. "Any new hobbies… new friends? Anything?"

Max sighed. "Like I said, boring life. It consists of school, Chloe, and friends."

Juliet perked up. "See? _That's_ something interesting!"

Max's brow furrowed. "What?"

"Chloe!" She clapped. "How's that going?"

"Oh." Max shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

"You guess?" A dumbfounded expression formed on Juliet's face. "Girl, you better have something more concrete that a guess."

Max giggled. "I don't know, it's been normal. I think. Wait, what constitutes a normal relationship?" Concern spread through her features. "Shit…" She muttered.

Juliet laughed. "Nah, don't worry about it, I'm teasing ya. I'm sure it's fine."

Max smiled. "Thanks for the existential crisis there, Juliet."

"How is that existentia– ah, whatever. No problem." She opened her science textbook and flipped through its pages. "So… you ready to start studyin'?" She glanced up at Max.

Max shook her head. "Actually, I wanted to ask you about, uh…"

Juliet raised an eyebrow. "What?" Suspicion lined her words.

"What happened with Rachel." Max cringed.

 _So much for subtlety._

Juliet groaned. "What's there to talk about?"

"Are you mad at her?"

"Kinda? I guess I'm over the whole dare thing, but it just pisses me off that she won't even give me a straight apology for it." Juliet shrugged. "Like she acts like _I'm_ the bitch for not accepting her shitty excuses and forgetting about it, you know?"

Max hesitantly nodded. "Yeah, I guess." She paused. "So if she were to, say, apologize normally, then you'd be willing to forgive her?"

"Maybe. Certainly not _forget_ , but…" She sighed. "It doesn't matter, she'll never manage to pull off a straight apology anyway."

Max smirked. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." She reached into her lap and grabbed her phone.

"What're you doing?" Juliet asked.

"Uh, nothing," She said. She slid her phone into her pocket. "So, what chapter are we on?"

"Nine, the test is only on the first half of the chapter though." Juliet pulled a notebook out of her bag.

Max opened her textbook navigated its contents. "Okay, so—"

"Uh, hi, Juliet." Rachel approached Juliet from behind.

Juliet looked over her shoulder. "Oh. Hi." She tilted her head, glancing back and forth between Rachel and Max. "Did you plan this?"

Max sank into her seat. "Maybe?" She said, uncertainty clear in her voice.

Juliet sighed. "What do you want, Rachel?" She crossed her arms.

"I, uh…" Rachel's usual confident demeanor had faded, replaced with one of great nervousness and discomfort. "Sorry. About the dare, about how I've acted… all of it."

Juliet's eyes widened. She laughed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. I'm just surprised that you actually apologized, that's all." She span around. "I forgive you, Rachel. Thank you for finally owning up to your actions."

Rachel rubbed the back of her neck. "That was easier than I thought."

Juliet grinned. "No, it isn't. You're taking me to lunch tomorrow. And _you're_ paying."

"Do I have to?" Rachel sighed.

Juliet nodded. "Yep! We gotta talk shit out, y'know? Now if you'll excuse us, we have some studying to do."

"Juliet, I didn't actually need to study," Max said.

"I do. It's not like you have anything better to do, Miss 'Boring Life'." Juliet smirked.

"Touché."

"Oookay, I'm gonna leave now. I guess." Rachel waited for a moment, allowing an awkward silence to form around them. She abruptly turned around and walked away.

Max's phone vibrated.

 **Rachel:** did that go well? I legit cannot tell

 **Max:** I think?

 **Rachel:** huh.

 **Max:** That went better than I expected.

 **Rachel:** I guess

 **Rachel:** but now she's roped me into treating her for lunch

 **Rachel:** she's totally going to take advantage of this, isn't she?

 **Max:** Yep, good luck with that!

 **Rachel:** ugh

Max pocketed her phone and returned her attention to Juliet.

"So can we finally start studying?" Juliet asked.

Max sighed. "If you insist."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Well, the gap between chapters was longer than usual this time. Sorry about that! Between preparing for finals and other end of semester shenanigans, I've been mainly focusing on researching and writing a new fic in my free time. That should hopefully be posted sometime in the next couple of weeks.**

 **With that said, I'm going to do my best to release at least one chapter per week.**


	12. Listen, Hear My Words

**Author's Notes:**

 **The events of this chapter are inspired by Cute Thing – Car Seat Headrest.**

 **All credit is given to Car Seat Headrest for the song lyrics used and referenced in this chapter.**

* * *

"Rachel."

Max felt nothing. She saw nothing.

"Rachel."

A blurred image began to form around her, pressing against her peripheral vision.

"Rachel!"

The world snapped into existence around her. Concrete bricks lined the area around her, the walls lined with various graffiti and posters. The room was in disarray – various objects littered about without any thought given to organization.

 _American Rust?_

"What's up, Chloe?" Rachel stood at the entrance to Chloe's hideout. The sun shone from behind her, its rays catching in her blonde hair.

"I'unno. Just thinking."

Rachel entered the room and took a seat next to Chloe. "What're ya thinking about?"

Chloe sighed. "Last month, after The Tempest… were you serious?"

"Serious about what?"

"About everything. Leaving all this shit behind, starting a new life. Were you serious about that?"

"Chloe…" Rachel placed a hand on her shoulder. "I've never been more serious about anything in my life."

"Do you really think we could do it?"

"Of course! Do you want to?"

Chloe nodded. She leaned forward. "Uh, yeah. I just… I don't know. It's weird, right?"

"What's weird about it? You're always talking about how much you hate this town, so let's blow this joint!"

"Yeah, yeah I know. But I never expected to actually have the opportunity to do it. I guess I just expected I'd be stuck here forever. Like, I was waiting for something that would never come to me."

"Something or someone?"

"Both."

Rachel lightly caressed Chloe's cheek. Her fingers ran under her chin, prompting her to face her. "I know how you feel. A lost soul without a purpose, living off misplaced hope. But I have a way out for us, Chloe. We could ditch this town and do whatever we want, live however we like. Don't you want that?"

Chloe closed her eyes. "I do. But—"

"Then stop overthinking it! Just go with the flow…" She tugged at Chloe's chin, closing the distance between them. "And we can find new hope."

Rachel leaned forward, connecting their lips in a kiss. The gesture which normally radiated love and passion, care and joy, emitted an aura of uncertainty and lust, desperation and apathy.

Max clenched her eyes shut.

 _I can't watch this._

She turned away.

 _I don't want to see this. I want to wake up. I want to wake up._

The sounds of kissing, of leaves being gently tussled in the morning wind, faded from her ears.

* * *

Max sprang awake, throwing the sheets off of her. She leaned forward and placed her head in her hands.

 _Why am I so upset about this?_

Something grumbled beside her. "What're you doing, Max?" It murmured.

Max glanced at the voice's owner. "Oh, sorry Chloe. I just… I had a dream."

The bluenette sat up. She rubbed her eyes. "Oh? A nightmare?"

Max rubbed her neck. "No, not a nightmare. I just… I don't know."

"Max, seriously," Chloe said, wrapping an arm around the smaller girl's waist. "What was it?"

"I don't know. I don't even know if it _was_ a dream. I don't…" Max wiped a tear from her eyes. "Fuck, I'm such an idiot. I don't know why I'm so upset about this."

"You aren't an idiot, Max," Chloe assured. "What is it?"

Max sighed. She rested her head on Chloe's shoulder. "You and Rachel," She muttered.

"Huh?"

"You and Rachel. At the junkyard. Talking about running away, and then you… well…"

"Oh." Chloe coughed. "We what?"

"You kissed."

A grin tore at Chloe's face. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, just that? Fuck, I thought you saw something a _lot_ less PG." She chuckled.

"It isn't funny," Max grumbled.

"It kinda is." Chloe nudged her.

"Hmph."

"Look, Max, I don't see why this is a big deal. You've always known that Rachel and I were together at one point."

"Yeah, I know. It's just weird to actually see it."

Chloe nodded. She pulled Max closer to her. "How did you even see that? I mean, you obviously weren't there when it happened."

Max shrugged. "I dunno."

Several minutes passed as the two sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

"Max, you wanna know why I never left this shithole of a town?" Chloe asked. She planted a kiss on Max's scalp.

"Why?"

"You. I spent every moment of those five years hoping that you'd come back to me one day, even when I thought I _had_ given up. And, eventually, you did. Everything was telling me that my hopes were meaningless, but somehow, I knew." Chloe sighed. "I love you, Max. More than you know."

"I love you too." Max sniffled.

Silence returned to the room, dragging Max and Chloe into thought once more.

"Did you love Rachel?" Max asked.

"Yes, I loved her. But don't hold that against me," Chloe answered.

Max grunted.

"Listen to me, Max," Chloe said. "My relationship with Rachel was an escape. We both benefitted from it, and when that stopped, so did the relationship. Do I still love her? I don't know. But I _do_ know that I love you more than I ever possibly could've with her, and that's all that matters. You're more important to me than anything, Max. I need you to know that."

"I know," Max murmured. "Fuck, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Just don't worry about it too much," Chloe said. "You think you can get some sleep?"

Max shrugged. "I can try."

Chloe patted her shoulder. "Okay. If you need _anything_ , wake me up. Yeah?"

Max nodded. "Okay."

The two settled back into the bed. Chloe wrapped her arms around Max's waist, pulling her body against her.

"Good night, Max. I love you."

"Love you too."

* * *

"What are you doing?"

A voice penetrated Max's ears, startling her. She opened her eyes.

She was in what appeared to be an old warehouse. Various discarded objects littered the area with an empty space in the middle. A man and a woman were sitting in the center of the clearing. They both were both dressed in all black with slicked back black hair.

"Listening," The woman responded.

"Have they spoken to you yet?" The man asked, his voice deep and his speech slow.

"Joe, we have to be patient," She said. "They will contact us when they are ready."

"What about the girl? Have you found her?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't know why, but this one is different. In spite of my best efforts, I only ever see darkness."

Joe sighed. "Nancy, are you sure that this girl even exists?"

"Yes. I have met her."

"How?"

Nancy stood and turned away from Joe. "She was my student."

Max's eyes widened.

 _Mrs. Peters?_

"Then why can't you find her?" Joe walked to her side.

"I don't know." Nancy clenched her eyes shut and clenched her fists.

The ground began to shake, rattling the junk around the room. A loud clanging noise sounded from above.

Nancy abruptly exhaled, causing the rattling to cease. "Nothing," She said.

Joe patted her shoulder. "We'll get her eventually."

She hummed. "Perhaps. I—" She whipped around and glanced around the room.

"What is it?" Joe furrowed his brow.

Nancy raised an eyebrow. "Something isn't right." She winced and collapsed to her knee, bringing one hand to her temple.

"Nance!" Joe shouted.

She grunted, slamming a fist on the ground. "They're speaking to me!" She shouted.

"What're they sayin?" Joe stepped back. His jaw dropped, and his eyes widened.

Nancy's response evaded Max's ears as the scene around her began to fade. Lost echoes filled her ears, overpowering the sounds of her environment. Darkness overtook light, and she awoke once more.

* * *

Max gasped. Her head was throbbing as she sat up, her back against the wall. She winced and pressed a hand against her temple.

"Max? What is it?" Chloe mumbled.

Max grunted. She rubbed her temple, wincing as the pain flared up. "My photography teacher."

"What about her?" Chloe propped herself up on one elbow, regarding Max with a concerned expression.

"We have to find her."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I had originally planned this to be a part of a much larger chapter, but I thought it would be better to separate it into a few shorter ones.  
**


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